Unbitten
by maggieloo402
Summary: Bella Swan, a 23 year old journalist, is sent back to her hometown of Forks to report on a recent murder. She meets Edward, a 24 year old doctor, and most importantly, a vampire. When she discovers his secret, they learn how much true love is worth.
1. Assignment

Welcome to my story my dears! This preface is a late addition to the story, but I feel like it needs to be here to provide some understanding of the direction the story is taking. So, for those of you who have already read up through chapter 14, you'll get what this means, but for those of you who are just starting the story, I think it will help you get a better idea of the story. Enjoy! :)

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**Preface**

I stared at the iron and oak doors in front of me. What lied behind them would change everything I had known for the past one hundred and fifteen years. Change was hard, especially for my kind. However, I would change everything for the trembling girl next to me.

When I first saw Bella, I wanted to hate her. She tempted me beyond anything else; surely, she was sent from my personal Hell. She sang her siren song, luring the monster to her. I wanted to take her, to kill her for simply existing. One look into her eyes, however, changed everything.

It wasn't her I hated; it was myself. What kind of creature happens upon a fallen angel, a goddess, and believes her to be sent from Hell? How atrocious the monster is, to want to destroy the very representation of goodness.

Beyond reason, this beautiful girl had accepted me, loved me. She gave me purpose, hope, and love—things I had never imagined I could have. If not for Bella, I never would have dreamed that I could _live_.

Our lives had become interwoven; I would give anything to be with her.

I glanced over my shoulder at my family standing behind us. Jasper, Alice, Emmett, Rosalie, Carlisle and Esme. There was no way of knowing how my decision would affect them, yet there they stood. As mated pairs, they understood. I hoped my family knew how much they meant to me.

When he noticed my glimpse, Carlisle clapped his hand on my shoulder in reassurance, calming my nerves slightly with his comforting touch.

"It'll be okay, son," he whispered softly in a tone too rapid for Bella to understand. He offered me a tight-lipped smile before turning his attention back to the doors in front of us.

My father's forced reassurances did little to calm my raging nerves, but one simple glance at the girl next to me reminded me that it would all be worth it. I looked over the rest of my family for one last comforting glance. They supported me. That knowledge meant more than any amount of comforting words ever could.

With that final look to those who meant the most to me, I turned my attention back to the daunting iron doors. My life was about to change forever.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

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**Chapter 1: Assignment**

I sat in our weekly company meeting, slouching in my comfortable leather office chair while I studied the glossy wood pattern of the long meeting table in front of me. These meetings were always the most boring part of my Mondays, mostly because I didn't care about sports, politicians and their torrid affairs, or whatever else made the front page of the Seattle Times this week. I covered all the misfits that the editor, Mr. Davenport, couldn't assign the typical "big story" reporters. That's right, I usually got the scraps, the leftover bits of news that everyone else was too busy to cover. Don't get me wrong, I love my job- I just wish I could talk about more than the new snail infestation in the local lake.

As the meeting droned on, my mind began to wander. Just as I drifted into thoughts of what I was going to have for dinner tonight, I felt a sharp jab in my side from the person on my right, bringing me back to the boring meeting room. I quickly directed my attention to my boss, who was staring at me with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, sir?" I asked, a bit confused.

"I said that I have a special story for you to cover this week. It requires a little time out of town. Will that be alright?" He repeated slowly.

I nodded. "That will be fine."

It was not unusual for me to get sent to a neighboring town for a story. The Seattle Times was such a large newspaper that many people who lived outside of Seattle subscribed, making outside stories well worth our time. In fact, I loved getting sent somewhere to get a story. It was like a miniature vacation. The newspaper paid for a nice hotel room, usually in the nearest Hilton where they got some kind of discount, and I got a few days away from the office.

"Good. The file is on your desk. From what I understand, it's a complicated piece so I won't try to tell you about it now. Visit me later if you have any questions."

"Thank you," I smiled happily.

I was intrigued. I thought about my assignment for the rest of the meeting, which seemed even longer and more boring than usual. As soon as the boss started shuffling his papers back into his bag, I darted out of the meeting room and down the hall to my cramped cubicle. There was a large manila envelope on top of my keyboard with my name scrawled across the front. I sat down to open the envelope when a head popped over the short wall that separated my cubicle from the one right in front of mine.

"So what's that assignment all about?"

I narrowed my eyes at my best friend, Jacob Black. Jacob and I had been friends for what seemed like our entire lives. After high school we had moved to Seattle and had lived together ever since, which often gave people the wrong idea about our relationship, but I didn't let it bother me- Jacob and I were just friends.

"Well, I was about to open it but I was rudely interrupted," I teased.

"I'm waiting," he said, turning his attention to the envelope I still held in my hands.

I pulled the packet of information out of the envelope and began scanning through the overview of the story on the front page. As I was reading, I felt my face fall. Jacob must have noticed the expression on my face, because he quickly left his cubicle and came to stand behind me as I read.

I threw the papers back down on my desk and scrambled down the hall to Davenport's office.

"Question?" He asked, without looking up to see me.

I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, sir, but I can't do that assignment."

That made him look up at me. "Excuse me?"

"Is there any way you can send someone else?" I asked hopefully. I would do anything for a simple snail story now.

He leaned forward to prop his elbows on the desk in front of him and eyed me curiously.

"Is this the same writer who is always begging for a big story?" He asked. "The same girl who says she wants to travel and write about everything in the world? That's why I liked you so much when I hired you, Miss Swan. What's wrong with this assignment?"

"I just don't feel comfortable going there," I tried to explain, wringing my hands.

He continued to look at me through eyes squinted in confusion.

"Miss Swan, unless there is a valid reason you shouldn't go, I'm sending you out tomorrow morning."

I stayed silent–I knew there was nothing I could say to change Mr. Davenport's mind.

"Very well, Miss Swan, go home and rest- do a little research for your article. I'll see you again in a week." With that, he returned his attention to his desk.

I sighed reluctantly and turned to go back to my cubicle.

"What did he say?" Jacob asked, jumping to his feet at the sight of me coming back to my desk.

I shrugged and buried my face in my hands.

"I guess I'm going to Forks," I mumbled.

Jacob grimaced.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Dinner!" I heard Jacob call as the apartment door slammed behind me.

I hopped up off the living room floor to take one of the take-out bags out of his hand. I opened it to breathe in the delicious smell of the Chinese food inside.

"Thanks, Jake, this is just what I need. Chinese therapy!" I laughed.

He snorted at my joke and took his burger out of its brown sack. I heard him mumble something about my Chinese stinking up the house for a week but I ignored him as I opened the first box of noodles.

"So what are you going to do?" He asked as we finished up our dinner.

I sighed and placed the chopsticks back in the box as I shrugged my shoulders.

"I guess I don't really have a choice do I?"

"I guess you don't," he said, shaking his head. "Have you called your dad yet?"

My eyes sprung up to meet his.

"He was so mad when we left…" I mumbled, trailing off as my thoughts took over.

Jacob and I had united under a common goal that brought us together in middle school: to get out of Forks. I had been the one who wanted to be a journalist back then- Jacob wanted to be a professional football player. That dream slowly drained out of him and I managed to convince him that seeing his name in print in a byline would be almost as good as seeing it in the game highlights. With that in mind, we decided that once we graduated high school, we would go to college together at Seattle University and then get jobs together at the Seattle Times. Of course I told my father about our plan, but he just laughed and patted the top of my head. He never believed we would actually leave, but we did, and he didn't like it. I hadn't talked to him since.

Now, after six years, I was finally going to talk to my father again, but it was going to be me as a reporter and he as the police chief. That just didn't seem right.

Jacob and I shared a pint of Ben & Jerry's Half Baked ice cream and channel surfed for the rest of the evening, trying to forget that I had to be in Forks tomorrow. Finally, he stood up off the couch, reminded me that he had to be at work bright and early tomorrow morning, and went to bed.

I sat on the floor staring at the manila envelope on the table for a moment before leaning over to pick it up again. I was supposed to spend my afternoon reading everything I could find about the story once Mr. Davenport let me leave work, but I had avoided it, opting instead to finish the novel I had been engrossed in for the last week.

As I read over the assignment again, I dragged myself up off the floor and to my computer, which was sitting on a small desk in the corner. I thought for a moment before putting my fingers to the keys and typing "Mysterious deaths in Forks, Washington" into Google. I hit enter and looked down through the list of results. I found two that appeared relevant to the story I had been assigned. I read through the first, not learning anything that I hadn't read from the file I had reviewed. Shaking my head, I absentmindedly clicked on the second link. I read through this story without noticing anything different about it than the one I had just read. As I was about to close my browser and go to bed, the date at the end of the article caught my eye.

Wait, 1967?

The information at the end of the article said that it was a reprint from a Forks newspaper from January 19, 1967, but it was almost an identical story to the one I read before it that was published two days ago. I brought out the assignment from the envelope sitting beside the computer and read it again, this time comparing it to the article from 1967. The similarities were unnerving. In both cases, the bodies were found in the forest right outside of town, the cause of death uncertain, but they had the exact same crescent shaped wounds on their bodies. How was this possible? Is the same person behind these murders? How could the exact same murder be recreated 40 years later? I shook my head to clear the confusing thoughts and shut the lid on my laptop, simultaneously shutting the lid on all the questions in my brain.


	2. Amends

- - Unending gratitude to Leah, the one who fixes my stupid :) - -

**Chapter 2: Amends**

I woke up with a pounding headache the next morning. I saw it as a sign of things to come.

I sighed and rolled over to turn off the _whoooosh_-ing of my alarm clock. It was supposed to be a soothing waterfall; however, I found that it was, in fact, nothing more than a loud, white noise kind of sound. How that was supposed to be soothing and pleasant to wake up to, I'll never know.

I stared at the white ceiling above my head as I dreaded the day ahead of me. I got lost in my thoughts and started to drift off to sleep again, but Jacob woke me up with a quick tap on the door.

"Morning," I mumbled as he came in and lay down on the bed next to me.

"I notice you don't say _good _morning today," he laughed.

"Just let me go back to sleep and forget this day was ever supposed to happen," I grumbled, pulling a pillow to cover my face.

"Don't think I can do that," he chuckled as he pulled the pillow away.

"Whyyyy?" I whined like a two year old.

"Well, Bella," he began patronizingly, "you would get fired."

I scowled at him.

"It's almost worth it," I growled as I threw the blankets back and sat up to face him. "You know, it's not fair that you get to stay here in your nice little cubicle while I have to go back to Forks _alone_ to face my dad, your dad, and the rest of the town. You know how that place is, everyone will be whispering, pointing, and giving me dirty looks all week long- and it's all your fault!"

Jacob threw up his arms in defense. "What do I have to do with this?"

"All the whispering, pointing, and dirty looks–that's what. They're going to think I up and left you already," I teased.

When Jacob and I left Forks, it had been a common rumor that we were moving to Seattle so that we could be together romantically. It was no secret that, for many reasons, my father vehemently disapproved of Jacob and I becoming involved romantically. Like everyone else in town, he couldn't understand that the only relationship Jacob and I would ever, _could _ever have was a friendship. Us moving away together cast some kind of small-town evil on us both.

Also, some people believed that I had wronged Jacob's father. After high school, Jacob was expected to take over as owner/operator of his father's store, which sold bait, tackle, and other fishing supplies. Mr. Black never realized that Jacob had no interest in following in his footsteps, regardless of whether or not we had moved away. I'm not really sure how I managed to be blamed for _that_.

"You would leave me?" he asked with wide, puppy dog eyes. Through the years, the talk of the town had become a joke between the two of us.

I just laughed at the ridiculous story and threw my legs over the side of the bed to stand and go to the shower.

I took my time in the shower; the hot water was far too relaxing to be rushed. As I dried my hair, I checked the time on the clock. 8:14. I was supposed to be at the car rental place at 10:00 to pick up the car I was to use for the week. I started to wonder if Jacob was still here, then I took a deep breath and smiled at the delicious scent of pancakes in the air. I dressed quickly and hurried out to the kitchen.

"Jacob, you are amazing," I said as I looked at the plate he set in front of me, piled high with four pancakes with a side of bacon, and a glass brimming with orange juice off to the side.

"Hey, something about this day has to be good, right?" He smiled as he took his own plate off the counter and sat down beside me.

I shrugged and nodded, unable to speak due to the huge bite of pancakes already in my mouth.

We enjoyed our breakfast in silence for several minutes, too caught up in the delicious food to think of anything else, but he finally set his fork down and looked across the table at me. Following his lead, I put mine down too.

"I hate to bring it up," he began slowly, "but does your dad know you're coming?"

I sighed deeply, turning my attention back to my food and pretending not to hear him.

"Seriously, Bella, he's going to find out you're there whether you tell him in advance or not. It might be best to give him a heads up."

I grimaced at the thought, knowing he was right.

We finished our breakfast in silence, me taking extra time to push bits of pancake around my plate, mopping up extra syrup. Jacob gave me a pitying look before going to my bedroom and returning with my phone. He sat it in front of me on the table and shrugged.

"You've gotta do it," he told me, taking both of our plates to the sink.

I watched him as he rinsed off the plates and put them in the dishwasher. Pouting, I also watched him as he cleaned the rest of the kitchen.

"Bellaaa…. Call him!"

My only response was to cross my arms on the table in front of me and scowl at my phone. I knew I was being immature, but I couldn't find it in me to care.

After a few minutes, Jacob sat down beside me. Waving my phone in front of my face, he said, "Bella......seriously."

"Noooo," I sighed, burying my face in my arms on the table.

"Uh-oh! It's ringing!" Jacob announced with an evil tone in his voice.

My eyes bugged out and my head popped up off the table. Much to my dismay, Jacob was holding my phone to his ear.

"Jacob! You didn't!" I cried, snatching the phone out of his hand and checking the number on the screen. It read "Charlie" in the taunting block letters across the phone with the unfamiliar number underneath.

I shot Jacob a death glare and held the phone to my ear. Holding the phone to my ear, I glared at Jacob, wishing I could inflict physical pain with only a look.

"Hello?" The deep, somber voice of my father came through the phone.

"Um, hi Dad."

Silence.

"Dad?" I asked, checking my phone to make sure that we were still connected.

"Bella?"

In an instant, his voice seemed to have gone up an octave- probably due to the shock of hearing from his daughter again. I typically called him only on Christmas and he only called me on my birthday, if he wasn't busy. Even then, our conversations lasted no more than a minute.

"Hey…" I started, unsure. What do you say to someone you really only talk to out of obligation? "How are you?"

"I'm fine," he said stoically.

I rolled my eyes, searching for something else to say. It always seemed that there was an awkward silence attending our conversations.

"How is work?" I asked lamely.

"We're busy. I guess you heard about the murders a few days ago."

"Um, yeah actually, that's why I was calling."

I heard him sigh on the other end of the phone. Knowing I needed to give him my explanation, I continued.

"The Seattle Times is actually doing a story on it for next week's Sunday paper. They are sending me up there to cover it and do a little digging of my own."

He grunted his acknowledgment and I took that as a sign to continue.

"I'm going to be up there around two today."

Having said everything I needed to tell him, I sat back in my chair and made eye contact with Jacob. I knew the look he was giving me--he wanted to know what was going on. I just shrugged in return.

"Well, then, I guess I'll see you around, Bella," he said. "Thanks for letting me know."

"Alright, see you," I replied.

I heard a click signaling that he had hung up, so I snapped my phone shut and threw it at Jacob.

"Happy?" I asked.

"Not until you tell me what he said!" Jacob retorted.

"He doesn't care!" I practically shouted. "He just said 'see you around' and that was the end of it!"

He frowned in sympathy and sighed. "I'm sorry, I really thought he might react differently."

"Yeah, well, I didn't expect anything different," I said sulkily.

Charlie's disinterest in my visit just made me dread going even more. Was it really too much to ask for him to be _a little _excited that I was coming?

"Alright, well, I've got to go to work," Jacob said, glancing at the clock. "Promise you'll call me when you get there, okay?"

"Yes, _mom_," I said teasingly. Sometimes he acted just like my mother with his worrying.

He laughed and threw his tie around his neck, tying it in less time than it took me to blink, but leaving it crooked and loose.

He hugged me before he left, wishing me a good trip as he walked out the door. Doubtful.

Glancing at the clock, I realized that I had less than an hour till I had to be ready to leave. I sighed, remembering that I hadn't even packed yet. Luckily, I'm low maintenance. Throwing a few pairs of jeans along with some slacks for any meetings I might set up, a few blouses and some t-shirts into my suitcase completed my clothes for the week. I went into the bathroom and swiped everything off the counter into my blue travel bag and threw that in on top of my clothes. I started going down through my drawers to make sure I didn't forget anything. Top drawer- socks and underwear. Check. Second drawer: Shirts. Check. Third Drawer: Pants. Check. I almost didn't even bother opening the bottom drawer- it was where I kept things I didn't ever wear- but I decided to check to make sure there was nothing I needed down there.

I opened it and pawed through the clothes, unsure of what I was looking for. I was about to shut it and close my suitcase, but something stuffed into the back corner caught my eye. It was purple and lacy and definitely something I never wore. I remembered it as a tiny nightie my mother gave me several birthdays ago, just after I told her Jacob and I were living together. I never wore it for fear Jacob would choose that morning to come into my room to wake me up. I don't think I would've ever been able to look him in the eye again. Picking the garment up, I decided that I might finally try it out. After all, there would be no risk of someone sneaking into my room in the middle of the night in Forks.

Taking that, along with a couple extra pairs of socks, I finished up my packing a zipped the lid of my suitcase shut. I took my suitcase out into the hallway and set it next to the door, unfortunately catching a glimpse of my face in the mirror in the hall. I used my hands to brush my hair back out of my face, but it didn't help. I went back into my bathroom and ran a brush quickly through my hair and put on a small amount of makeup. Taking in my reflection, I decided that I was as good as I was going to get. After calling for a taxi, I slipped on a pair of comfortable shoes and left the apartment.

My taxi driver was overenthusiastic about Forks when I told him where I was going. He spent the entire drive going on and on about the scenery, the people, even the layout of the town. I spent the drive contradicting every good thing he said with something negative of my own invention in my head. When I finally got out of the taxi, I was even more depressed about going.

My mood was lightened considerably when I saw the car the company rented for me. I had never even ridden in a BMW, much less driven one for a week, so I was a little excited. All I had to worry about was messing it up somehow. Luckily, though, my driving capabilities are better than my walking capabilities. Stories about me tripping, falling, or running into things are practically legendary in Forks. With that, I had just thought of another reason to dread my trip.

The welcome sign for Forks came way too soon. I was hoping for at least another hour in the car, but I had no suck luck. Five minutes after the welcome sign, I was pulling into the Super 8 Motel. Classy. Apparently Forks still didn't have a Hilton, but I wasn't going to complain as long as I wasn't staying with Charlie. Luckily, the fact that the company paid for my hotel kept me from an awkward stay in Charlie's house.

It was only a little after two in the afternoon when I collapsed onto the squeaky bed in my hotel room, but I didn't know what to do for the rest of the day. The only thing I knew for certain is that I didn't want to see Charlie yet. I had tried to rationalize not going down to the police station this afternoon because I would be in town too late, but you could hardly call two o'clock late.

I spent 20 minutes putting my clothes into the dresser in the room, then another ten taking another shower, but the time still didn't seem to pass quickly enough. At three, I forced myself to put the story file into my bag and leave the hotel to go down to the police station.

Having been there so many times as a child, I had no trouble finding it. Over the course of the five minute drive, I think just about every person in town stared at my car going down the road. Thankfully, the dark tint on the windows kept anyone from seeing who was driving the car.

When I pulled in the parking lot of the police station, I said a silent prayer that no one would recognize me. Taking a deep breath and getting out of my car, I realized that my prayers definitely were not answered. Right away, I noticed two officers standing next to a police cruiser stop talking and stare at me as I walked inside.

I had slightly better luck with the receptionist, who did not recognize me, therefore, did not think it strange when I asked to speak with Chief Swan rather than asking to speak with my father. She directed me around the corner to his office, where the door stood ajar.

I tapped the door lightly with my knuckles before pushing it open. Charlie's head popped up out of some paperwork and an expression of uncertainty covered his face. He looked a little older- more lines and wrinkles- and he looked a little heavier, but overall, he was the same. I could tell he was shocked to see me, but I tried to act like it was nothing strange.

"Hey Dad," I greeted him in a forced casual tone.

"H- um- hey," he stuttered in return, almost tripping over his words. "Sit down."

I pulled the chair out from the corner and closer to his desk and sat.

"How was the drive?"

"It was fine," I told him. "They gave me a nice car for the trip."

He just nodded. Things with Charlie were definitely awkward.

"So... do you need to get started on your story?" He asked.

"Oh yeah," I said with a start, jumping for my bag. "Would you mind looking over this file they gave me? I just want to make sure I've got my facts straight before I try to get any new information."

"Sure," he agreed, taking the folder and beginning to shuffle through the papers. "We can also give you a copy of the police report and some of the other information that we have, if you want."

"That would be great."

He removed a stack of papers from on top of another manila envelope and handed it to me.

"These are all the public files. You can take a look and make copies of the ones you need while I took over the information you have," he instructed me. "You remember where the copy machine is, right?"

I nodded and took the papers he handed to me. Most of the papers were the originals of copies I already had in my folder, but there were a few new ones. I picked those out of the rest and took them down to the small workroom that adjoined the break room in the back of the building.

While I was waiting on the copies, I watched the local news running silently on a channel in the adjoining break room. It was nothing really interesting- local news around here never was. I was about to turn to go back to the copier when two men entered the break room. One, I recognized as an old friend of my father's, the other was a burly man that I didn't recognize.

"Hey, Fred," I called casually across the room.

"Well if it isn't the police chief's daughter!" He exclaimed happily, coming over to where I was standing. He had always been friendly, and even if he didn't think the best of me now, he wasn't the kind of man to be rude to someone he used to know.

"How are you?" I asked pleasantly.

"Oh, I'm just fine," he said with a shrug. "There's a lot going on here recently."

"I've heard," I said, nodding. "The Seattle Times sent me to write a story on those murders."

He raised his bushy eyebrows while he nodded.

"Oh, Bella, I guess you haven't met our newest addition to the police force," he began, waving the burly man over from across the room. "This is Emmett Cullen. His family moved here about a year ago from up North. Emmett, this is Bella Swan, Chief Swan's daughter."

He stuck out his meaty hand and I shook it while he grinned down at me. He looked more like a professional football player than anyone I had ever seen. It was hard to get over his enormous size, but when I finally did, I noticed something else strange about him. He had the palest skin of anyone I had ever seen. It was a sharp contrast to the dark uniform he wore and to the dark mop of curly brown hair on his head. He was very attractive- easily one of the most attractive people I had ever seen outside of a magazine- and his eyes were the strangest color of shimmering honey.

"It's nice to meet you, Bella," he said happily while he grinned with a row of perfect white teeth.

"Nice to meet you, too," I replied. If Emmett had heard any of the negative gossip floating around about me, he didn't let it show.

Just then, Charlie came in the door, glancing around the room curiously.

"There you are, Bella," he sighed. "I was starting to wonder where you had gone."

"I'm sorry. I was just talking to Fred and meeting Emmett Cullen. I'll go grab those papers," I said, excusing myself to the workroom where my papers were sitting in the copier waiting for me.

After I picked up my copies, I followed Charlie back to his office, where he handed me back my folder.

"Looks like you've got a pretty good start there," he told me, nodding toward the stack in my hands. "There's nothing wrong with any of the information."

"Alright, thank you," I said, stuffing the folder back down into my bag.

"We're going back up the mountains where the bodies were found tomorrow," he said hesitantly. "You want to tag along?"

I could tell by his tone that he was hoping I would say no, but what kind of reporter would I be then?

"Sure! I'd love to," I said confidently. "When do I need to be here?"

"Ten tomorrow morning," he said grudgingly.

"Thank you!" I chirped, excited by this opportunity.

I got up and put the chair back in the corner, preparing to leave, but I thought of something right as I opened the door.

"What are you doing tonight for dinner?" I asked slowly.

He looked at me curiously before slowly answering. "Well, I was just planning on reheating some potato soup."

"Why don't you come with me to that old diner you used to like so much?" I asked.

He smiled for the first time since I had seen him.

"Sure. Seven sound ok?"

"Sounds great," I smiled. "See you then, Dad."

I practically bounced back outside to my car. I don't know why I had decided to have dinner with Charlie. I think, perhaps, I was hoping to mend our relationship somewhat. Having taken a step in that direction, I felt great about it. Also, I was excited about going up to the mountains tomorrow with the police to check out the area again. I had been wondering how I would find it by myself, but my father had provided the perfect opportunity to check it out and ask questions at the same time. At this moment, Forks didn't seem to be so bad.


	3. Explosions and Fireworks

Disclaimer: Not my characters

- - This story wouldn't be half as good without my fabulous beta, Leah. If you love this story, thank her! - -

Chapter 3: Explosions and Fireworks

While I got ready for dinner with Charlie, I analyzed our relationship, trying to figure out why we never had a typical father-daughter relationship. My mother, Renee, left Charlie and I when I was a baby. Apparently, she wasn't ready for the responsibility of having a child. Because I never really had a mother, people thought I should have been 'Daddy's Little Girl'. The fact of the matter is that it just wasn't like that with us. Charlie and I were never really close—we were far too different. Where our differences didn't block the development of our relationship, our lack of understanding did. We never tried to understand anything about each other or the things we enjoyed. When Charlie would find my copies of local and national newspapers lying around, he would promptly throw them in the trash, citing that they were garbage. When Charlie would drag me on one of his many fishing trips, I would spend the entire time on the boat attempting to scare off the fish, thus ending the trips early. In actuality, we had never spent any meaningful amount of time together—we had never been close.

Considering the fact that Charlie and I had never really had a relationship, I was shocked at his reaction to Jacob and me moving to Seattle. He had been _livid._ I knew that he didn't like Jacob, but I had never fully understood his reaction to my moving away with him.

The more I thought about our non-relationship, the more frustrated I got with myself for trying to make amends with my father. How can you mend fences when the fences were never built?

When I pulled into the parking lot of the diner, I saw Charlie leaning against the side of his police cruiser. Parking as far away as I could, I turned my car off and collected my thoughts. Even though I had been mentally preparing for this all afternoon, I was unnerved now that I was actually faced with spending time with my estranged father.

With a deep breath, I got out of my car and walked across the lot to where Charlie was standing.

"Hey, Dad," I said with a smile.

"Evening, Bella," he returned with a nod of his head.

With his awkward posture and the forced smile on his face, it seemed that Charlie's nervousness had escalated to twice what it was earlier today. His anxiety caused mine to increase, thereby putting to rest any hope that this would be a comfortable dinner.

"Wanna go inside?" I asked.

He nodded and we went inside the small diner. Immediately, I noticed that the diner seemed exactly as it did six years ago. It still smelled like an odd combination of old bacon grease, chicken, and steak.

I followed Charlie to his usual booth next to the window and sat down on the still busted seat, trying to avoid the stuffing coming out of it.

"So has anything about this place changed?" I asked with a laugh, attempting lightheartedness. More than anything, I had hoped that I could do something, _anything_ to relieve some of the awkwardness emanating from the two of us.

"Nope."

Well, so much for that.

We were silent while I looked over the menu. Charlie sat across the table from me with his arms folded across his chest. He had been here so many times that he probably had the menu memorized.

I decided on a cheeseburger with fries and put my menu back down on the table. We sat in uncomfortable silence until the waitress came around to get our orders. Finally, in desperation, I decided to try starting up a conversation.

"So, how's Forks been for the past few years?" I asked stiffly as I played with the edge of my napkin.

"You know Forks, it never changes," he said with a shrug. "That's just what I've always loved about it."

I had to stifle a laugh at that fact. It was funny how everything I hated about Forks was everything that my father loved.

"That's nice," I said politely.

"How is Seattle?" He asked, honoring the unlikely civility between us.

"It's nice," I replied. This was a touchier subject. I knew he really didn't care about Seattle at all. One slip and we could be back to fighting. Treading lightly, I said, "I love my job."

"That's good," he said with a forced smile.

I checked my watch. Time seemed to be going exceptionally slow. I propped my arms on the table in front of me. As the minutes passed, I watched as people milled in and out of the diner. I began to notice a routine. Upon entering, a person would glance around the room, their eyes lingering on me. That person would then lean over to someone else and whisper something, often nodding in my direction. I also noticed that even though I didn't recognize all the people, they all seemed to recognize me.

Somehow, Charlie and I managed to make small talk about the weather, his job, the house, and other mundane topics until our food came. It seemed that we were both thankful for the interruption. Finally, conversation could easily be avoided without awkwardness.

As I was finishing my fries, the one person I had been praying I would not have to see this week walked into the diner. I looked on as Billy Black's smile contorted into a grimace as he walked toward Charlie, undoubtedly noticing me.

I pretended not to see him until he was standing at the edge of our table, shaking hands with Charlie. At this point, I knew I had no choice but to be polite, so I stood and offered my hand to Mr. Black.

"Hello, Mr. Black."

Without shaking my hand, he curtly said, "Bella."

"How are you, Mr. Black?" I asked, lowering my hand. I was trying my hardest to be polite to this man, but he was making it unbearably difficult.

"I'm fine, thank you. I assume you're moving back to town?" He asked.

Before I even had time to think about maintaining a polite expression, my eyebrows knit together into a sharp frown.

"Why would you think that?" I asked sharply.

"Well, I can only assume that, after all these years, my son has finally seen around you. You were always there, blinding him to other girls. Even when he did date, you had to weasel yourself in the picture. You couldn't leave him alone long enough to find happiness! It was only a matter of time before he met someone that would finally shove you out of his life. Why else would you be back here instead of out there with him?" He said condescendingly.

As I was listening to his insulting tirade, I could feel the blood rising to my face in anger. I tried to keep my mouth shut, but it seemed the longer I kept my mouth shut, the more insulting his words became. Reflexively, I looked to Charlie. The part of me that desired a relationship with my father, the part that was still hurt that he never tried to understand me, hoped that he would defend me against this attack.

"Now, Billy, now is not the time or place for this," Charlie started.

Ignoring him, Billy continued, "I can only hope that Jacob raised his standards. He could get such a nice girl. One that wouldn't tear my family apart…one that could support his decisions instead of dragging him—"

"It's not my fault!" I screamed. "I never asked Jacob to go with me to Seattle! I didn't tell him to leave Forks! He is not my boyfriend, he never has been, and he never will be! As for me not being a nice girl, that's your opinion to have, but I would appreciate it if you kept that to yourself. Jacob loves his job in Seattle, and he is happy there. And NO- I will _never _move back to Forks."

My face was now burning in anger, made worse by the adrenaline rush from yelling. I grabbed my purse and rushed out of the diner and into the cool night air. The cool breeze seemed to help me, blowing away my frustration and cooling my anger. I leaned against the side of my car, feeling too unstable to drive right away.

I glanced up when I heard quick footsteps coming towards me.

"Isabella Marie Swan!" Charlie began in a voice that I recognized as the voice that meant I was in trouble. "How _dare_ you speak to someone like that! Especially someone who is your best friend's father and my friend! If you can't respect him at least respect me enough not to do that!"

Feeling my anger flare up again, I said, "Are you serious, Charlie? Were you even in the same room as I was? Did you not hear your _friend _call your _daughter_ a whore who tore apart his family?!"

Seething, Charlie met my eyes. "I was going to defend you. Did you not hear that? Or were you so caught up in your own world that you couldn't notice anyone else?"

"Defend me?! Is that what you call your half assed attempt at interrupting Billy's rant? So, tell me, _Dad_, when is the right time and place for someone to blatantly insult your daughter? You tell me to respect you…tell me, is this how you respect me?"

Before he could respond, I got in my car and drove away, ignoring the traitor tears streaming down my face. I couldn't even survive one day in Forks, how was I supposed to last a week?

I felt like I was fifteen again, getting yelled at in Charlie's house. I definitely wasn't going to apologize to anyone. I felt like I said exactly what needed to be said. In fact, I had been waiting a long time to say exactly that.

With a deep breath, I tried to regain my composure so I could focus on driving back to the hotel. I couldn't wait to go to bed and relax in unconsciousness for a few hours.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

I awoke with a start in the middle of the night, my back and neck loudly protesting the movement. Groaning, I rolled over to see my cell phone vibrating on the table beside my bed.

I picked it up and squinted at the caller ID on the screen.

It read "_Jacob calling..._" Why would Jacob be calling me in the middle of the night? With that question, I remembered that, in all the excitement of the day, I had forgotten to call Jacob.

"Oh shit!" I cried, sitting straight up in bed and answering my phone.

"So you _are _alive!" Jacob exclaimed.

"I'm sorry-" I started to explain, but he cut me off.

"It's fine, Bella. Really. I only thought you were _dead,_" he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "It has _only_ been 23 hours since I asked you to call me when you got there, so it's perfectly understandable."

He was about to keep going in his little tirade against me, but I stopped him.

"Jacob, I know you asked me to call you when I got here, but I got really busy!" I exclaimed. "And that's still no reason for you to call me in the middle of the night to yell at me about it!"

He paused for a beat. "The middle of the night?" He asked. "It's nine in the morning, Bella."

I groaned loudly in frustration as I glared at the clock and Jacob started laughing.

"Stupid hotel room bed," I moaned. "I feel like I've only been asleep for an hour. _And _my back hurts! _And _I have a stupid crick in my neck!"

"Still no Hilton in Forks, huh?" He asked with a laugh.

"Not even close," I mumbled into my pillow.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" Jacob asked.

"I'm meeting Charlie and a few guys from the police station at ten to go up to the woods where the bodies were found. It'll be a good chance to look around," I said.

"Um, Bella?" He started hesitantly. "It's after nine."

Glancing at the clock, I realized that I had a total of 48 minutes to get ready and get to the police station. On some level, I was glad that we didn't have time for a conversation about my day yesterday—I really didn't want to rehash the confrontation with our fathers.

"Ugh, I've gotta go," I said. "This is not a good start to my day!"

He laughed. "I'd say call me later, but I know you would forget."

"Ha-ha," I pretended to laugh at his joke. "I'll talk to you later."

Hanging up the phone, I drug myself out of bed. I stood in front of the mirror and tried to pop my neck, but that made it only hurt worse. Frustrated, I got dressed carefully and made sure my hair wasn't too out of place, put on a little bit of makeup and hurried out the door.

I arrived at the police station at ten, but I just got out and stood next to my car, silently refusing to go in the building. Several officers were standing around in the parking lot looking over some paperwork. I assumed they were going up to the forest with us, but I didn't join them to ask. At that point, all I cared about was getting this story over with and getting out of this town.

Charlie came out a few minutes later. I refused to make eye contact with him, but he came over to where I was standing anyway.

"Do you want to ride with me in the cruiser?" He asked.

I wanted to snort in ridicule of his offer, but I decided to control myself. "No." _That's all I need,_ I thought, _an awkwardly silent car ride to start my day._

"Fine," he said gruffly. "We're headed up the highway, but then the roads get tricky. Stick close to the group and you'll get there fine."

I nodded and got back in my car to wait for everyone else to be ready. The group going to the site consisted of four officers, Charlie, and I. Charlie and the officers seemed to stand around forever before they finally climbed into their cars and started off down the road.

I tried listening to quiet, soothing music to calm my nerves, but it seemed like the more I tried to relax, the more I started tapping my foot, clicking my fingernails together, or beating my fingers on the steering wheel. Soothing my frazzled nerves just wasn't on the agenda for today.

Finally, we were driving down the curvy roads through the forest. I was driving right behind Charlie, who kept glancing in his rear view mirror at me. I rolled my eyes every time I caught him doing it- as much as we disliked each other, he would never stop being overprotective of my physical being. My emotional being, on the other hand, was a completely different matter.

We finally pulled up into a small dirt parking lot in front of a small hiking trail labeled "Forest Creek Trail." Everyone got out of their cars and congregated around the beginning of the trail.

"It's about a half hour hike up the trail- is that alright?" Charlie asked me.

I nodded without even looking at him.

We started down the trail, and I was immediately thankful that I had worn comfortable shoes. The trail was covered with roots, sticks, and rocks; I had to keep my eyes glued to the ground in front of me to keep from tripping. Lost in concentration, I had no idea where we were until Charlie started barking out orders to the other officers.

"Bella- stay where I can see you," he demanded.

I shot him a sharp look that was meant to say "you wish." I was a reporter trying to track down a story- I wasn't about to stay within sight of my father like a toddler.

I glanced around the officers, hoping to find someone I could ask questions instead of having to ask Charlie, but I didn't know any of them. Because I was still far too angry to speak to Charlie, I followed two officers at a distance, learning my information from their conversation.

The officers walked further up the hill we were on, stopping every few feet to look down at the ground and shake their heads. After a few minutes of following and listening, I learned that there was some argument over what had killed the two victims. My information had said that the cause of death was uncertain, but none elaborated as to the different possibilities. One of the officers I was following believed it to be an animal attack and the other believed it to be a murder/suicide. I listened intently to their conversation.

"Did you see them, Rodney?"

"See what, the bodies? Yeah, man, I saw them. Twelve years on the force and I've never seen anything like that."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I know some people are saying that this is a clear cut murder/suicide case. I just don't think that it is, Steve."

"Oh come on, man. What else could it be? A man and a woman are found, alone, in the middle of nowhere. The medical examiner's report said that both of them had some serious bruising, so they must've gotten into a fight," Steve stated.

"I'm telling you, man, you didn't see these bruises. They were both _covered_ in bruises. Strange thing was, these bruises are similar—the bruises almost looked like matching patterns."

"Coincidence."

"And what about the cuts? Some of these marks look like something just ripped into them and others are a perfect crescent shape. How do you explain that with your murder/suicide theory?" Rodney countered.

"Simple. During their spat, they each picked up something to use as a weapon—a rock, a sharp stick, anything. The crescent cuts are carvings—torture, perhaps. After the first person died, the other couldn't live with the guilt so they killed themselves. Though, from the sound of things, that didn't take much."

"I don't know, Steve. First, we never found anything that looked like it had been used as a weapon. Second, I just don't know how people could do those things to each other—maybe I could believe one person doing that and then shooting themselves, but they had _matching_ wounds! Not to mention broken bones! For your theory to be plausible, someone would've had to inflict that kind of damage with broken bones. Murder/suicide just doesn't fit what I saw. Truth be told, I think it was some sort of animal attack."

"Animal attack?! Come on, man, you have more sense than that! What kind of animal makes those kinds of marks? And are you forgetting the scene? There was almost no blood! I may not know a whole lot, but I know that animals aren't exactly neat about the way they attack people. And besides, for your theory to be plausible, one victim would've just had to stand back and watch the other be killed. "

"I don't know. Things just aren't adding up."

With that, Steve and Rodney moved behind a large boulder which muffled their voices so that I could barely hear them. I knew I couldn't go around the rock or else they would see me following them. Not wanting to alert them to my presence, I decided to climb up the rock to get within range of their voices, but stay on the side where I could listen undetected.

The rock was still slick from morning dew under the canopy of trees, so I had a hard time getting a good hold on the surface in order to climb. I finally found a good hold in a crevice of the rock and used that to pull myself up, trying to avoid the slippery moss that covered the rock. I sat on the edge of the rock, trying to hear what they were talking about on the other side. I heard Steve ask Rodney for a cigarette and the two agreed to sit down. After they sat down, I couldn't hear their words as well. The rock allowed for me to move up a little more before I would be visible to anyone on the other side, so I decided to climb a little more. Reaching up, I found another good hold for my hand. When I moved my right foot, I forgot to watch for the moss. The rock where my foot landed was covered by the slick substance, which quickly gave way under my foot, causing me to lose my balance and fall from the rock.

My brain registered that I had hit my head before I was overcome by blackness.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

I awoke with a start to feel something cold on the side of my face.

"No, no, hold still," a deep, soft voice said from beside me. "You hit the back of your head when you fell. The bleeding stopped but you need to hold still so it doesn't start again."

I tried to open my eyes, but they felt heavy, so I just let kept them closed.

"Where am I?" I asked groggily.

"You're in the forest—just off Forest Creek Trail. I found you about 20 minutes ago," the voice replied.

I gasped in realization of my situation. Forgetting my head, I sat up quickly, looking for Charlie and the other police officers. Turning my head toward the voice, I asked, "Where are—" but I forgot my question. Sitting next to me, on the forest floor, was the most ridiculously handsome man I had ever seen. He was looking at me curiously with eyes of sparkling honey. Upon further inspection, I realized that his beautiful eyes were framed with dark, sooty lashes accentuated by thick brows and sculpted cheekbones. His bronze hair was ruffled by the wind, but still had the appearance of being flawlessly styled. His squared jaw made his face seem more rugged. He wasn't just handsome…he was perfect.

It did not escape my notice that, for some reason, this perfect stranger was shirtless. His pale skin was stretched taut over his lean, but muscular body. More than solid, this man was sculpted. It was as if he had been created from marble, rather than born from flesh. Looking back into this man's eyes, I felt my last shred of composure slip away. I was trying to keep my eyes on his, rather than on his naked torso, to remember how to use my voice, and to keep my jaw from dropping in utter astonishment; I quickly felt myself slipping back into unconsciousness with the effort.


	4. Concussions and Confrontations

Chapter 4: Concussions and Confrontations

"Hey, hey, hey," the soft voice said abruptly. "You can't go back to sleep- you probably have a concussion. We need to get you to the hospital."

I groaned in protest as he put his cold hand on my back and brought me back up into a sitting position. When I opened my eyes again and looked at him, I remembered why I had needed to close my eyes so badly. Before he could catch me staring, I reached up to cover my face with my hands, my fingers brushing a soft piece of cloth on my forehead. The band of cloth wrapped all the way around my head to the back where my head felt very tender.

"Remember what I said about you hitting your head?" The man asked with a small chuckle.

I nodded silently. "Where are Charlie and the officers?" I asked.

"Who?" He asked, looking at me with those beautiful golden eyes and putting butterflies in my stomach all over again.

"I, um…I mean…I was with several men from the police station and Charlie, my father. A-Are they still here?" I stammered.

His brows knit together in confusion as he looked around the forest again.

"I haven't seen anyone the whole time I've been out here," he said, turning his attention back to me.

"Oh…I guess they didn't realize I wasn't there," I said curiously. First, I wasn't sure how the two officers I had been following hadn't heard me fall, but then again, I had been on the other side of the rock. Bringing my attention back to the inhumanly beautiful person in front of me, I asked, "Why are _you_ out here?"

"Hiking," he said with a jovial smile.

"Alone?" I asked, confused.

He just shrugged and continued to smile.

Instead of trying to say anything else, I just closed my eyes and put my hands over my face. It was just too difficult to talk while looking at him.

"What's wrong?" He asked quickly. "Does your head hurt?"

"Yes," I lied. It was much easier to let him assume my head hurt than try to explain the truth. _No, my head is fine, it's just that you are so gorgeous I can't bear to look at you. _I could imagine how well _that_ would go over.

"You need to go to the hospital," he demanded.

"What? Why? No!" I said, uncovering my face.

"I found you unconscious on the ground and you have a huge cut on the back of your head. Let me take you to the hospital!" He argued.

"I don't even know who you are," I said, as if that would keep him from taking me. I had a feeling that he was used to getting what he wanted.

"Edward Cullen. Pleased to meet you," he said, taking my hand and giving it a quick shake. "Happy?"

I rolled my eyes, knowing that I didn't have much choice in the matter. I was going to follow him back down to the road and let him take me to the hospital. As he helped me up, he took out his cell phone and called the hospital, asking them to send an ambulance out to the entrance to Forest Creek Trail.

"So you've got connections with the Forks hospital?" I asked as he hung up the phone and we started walking. "Most people can't just call up the hospital and tell them they need an ambulance."

"I'm a doctor," he said with a small chuckle. "I've worked at the hospital since my family moved here about a year ago."

I nodded, and we continued down the trail.

"Are you related to Emmett Cullen?" I asked suddenly, remembering the burly man I met yesterday at the police station.

"He's my brother," Edward replied, sounding surprised that I knew Emmett. "Where did you meet him?"

"We met when I stopped by the police station to see Charlie yesterday," I said.

"Charlie?" Edward asked, giving me a puzzled expression.

"Chief Swan," I corrected myself. "He's actually my father."

"And you call your father Charlie?"

I took this as a good sign; he must not know my history with either Charlie or this town.

"We don't have the greatest relationship," I said sarcastically.

He chuckled slightly. "Well, if it counts for anything, you haven't confirmed any of the rumors."

I rolled my eyes. Of course he knew. "None of them are true," I said, unable to keep the bitterness out of my voice.

"I know," he said with a smile.

When he smiled at me, I thought my heart might hammer out of my chest. He was beautiful. He was perfection personified. His smile was perfect. His white teeth were perfectly straight and his smile tipped slightly to the right, but all the more perfect for it. I couldn't help but wish that I would meet this handsome stranger on different terms in the future.

Interrupting my silent worship of his perfection, he asked, "So you're Bella?"

"Oh! Um, yes. I'm sorry. I guess I should've told you that earlier."

"It's fine, Bella. I was rude enough not to ask you," he replied. "I'm sorry."

I gave him a shy smile in return.

We walked along in easy conversation for a while, slowly making our way down to the road.

"You said you were hiking, right?" I asked, remembering his strange excuse for being alone in the woods.

"Yeah," he replied, "I come out here all the time. I know this forest like the back of my hand."

"Don't you have a backpack?" I asked, glancing around him to make sure I didn't miss it. "And boots? Or, um, a shirt?"

For a moment, it seemed like I had made him uncomfortable. However, when he replied, he didn't seem uneasy at all.

"Well, Miss Swan, first of all, part of my shirt is wrapped around your head." He pulled out what remained of his black t-shirt from his back pocket. "I couldn't just let your head bleed. As far as the rest of my hiking things, they are back where I found you."

He didn't explain why he didn't have his things with him, but I accepted his explanation and we continued on down the trail.

"Aren't you afraid of whatever it is that killed those two people?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Not really. I've been around long enough to learn how to defend myself."

I snorted.

"What?" He asked. "You don't believe me?"

I raised my eyebrow at him.

"You'd be surprised, Miss Swan," he said, suddenly stepping in front of me, stopping me in my tracks. He leaned toward me. "I'm dangerous."

Looking into my eyes, he leaned even closer. The rest of the world disappeared—all I could sense was Edward—his voice, his unique scent, his solid form. I closed my eyes, trying to hold my composure, and felt his cool check brush mine as he whispered in my ear, "_Very_ dangerous."

I gasped and he backed away from me, laughing. Shocked, I did the only thing I could. I laughed and let it go.

"So you're a doctor?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, I finally finished medical school about a year ago," he replied.

"Really? You can't be more than 25!" I exclaimed.

"Actually, I'm 24," he said casually. "I've always been a little ahead in school."

I raised my eyebrows in amazement.

"What do you do?" He asked.

"Well, as I'm sure you've heard, I don't live here," I said with a wry smile. "I'm a reporter for the Seattle Times. I live there with my best friend."

"Oh, well what brings you to Forks?" He asked.

"I was sent here to report on those mysterious deaths that happened several days ago," I told him. "I was up here in the forest with some men from the police station. I followed two of them without them knowing; I was trying to listen to their conversation when I fell."

He started laughing and I glared at him.

"I'm sorry, Bella," he said while he tried to contain his laughter. "You know, most reporters ask questions _before_ trying to snoop."

"Well, I wasn't really supposed to be following them," I said.

He gave me a curious look which prompted me to continue.

"Charlie didn't want me wandering," I explained in embarrassment.

He just smiled reassuringly.

I smiled back at him and turned my attention back to the trail.

"There's the ambulance right up there," Edward said, pointing ahead through the trees.

I squinted, looking for the white and red that signified an ambulance, but I couldn't see anything.

"I don't see it," I said, squinting harder.

"Oh, well, um, I guess I have a better view since I'm a little taller than you or something," he replied.

Soon enough though, I could also see the ambulance waiting at the bottom of the hill. The sun was beginning to peek through the low, gray clouds that had covered the forest all morning, and I was a little sad my hike with Edward was about to end. As much as I hated hiking, I was really enjoying myself, and nice weather would only make it more enjoyable.

As we walked to the road, Edward kept looking up at the sky. The trees were thick here, so we could hardly see through to the sky, but I could still see glances of the rare sunshine.

"Let's hurry," he said, quickening his pace. "We have to get you to the hospital."

"Why don't you just take me?" I asked. Part of me was wishing to avoid the embarrassment of having to arrive at the hospital in an ambulance; the bigger part of me, however, just wanted to spend more time with him.

"I can't," he said with a quick glance in my direction. "I've got things I have to do."

I grumbled again about not wanting to go to the hospital, but he either didn't hear me or didn't want to argue with me anymore.

"Hello, Dr. Cullen?" One of the EMTs asked as we neared the ambulance.

"Yes," Edward confirmed, shaking the medic's hand in a slightly rushed manner. "This is Bella Swan, Charlie Swan's daughter. She fell and hit the back of her head a couple of hours ago. I found her about an hour ago and stopped the bleeding, but I didn't have anything else to put on it besides part of my shirt."

I stood with my arms crossed next to him as he explained my condition. I didn't feel that it needed the urgency that he seemed to be giving it, but I was in no place to make a judgment on the severity of my cut. All I knew is that it stopped bleeding- I could feel the uncomfortable scab covering a rather large area of the back of my head.

"Put her under my father's care; I'll be over to check on her later," Edward commanded.

"Will do, Doctor," the medic replied. "Come with me, Miss Swan."

He took my elbow and led me to the back of the ambulance.

I climbed into the back of the ambulance where the EMT removed the cloth from Edward's shirt. I suddenly realized I hadn't really thanked or said goodbye to him. I hopped down off the back of the ambulance and went back around to the side where Edward had been standing, hoping see him before I was whisked off to the hospital. He was gone, and the sun was shining brilliantly through the clouds overhead.

Reluctantly, I got back on the ambulance. On the way to the hospital, the medic poured some vile cleaning fluid on the cut on my head. It burned and stung and I thought the back of my head was about to fall off, but the medic just smiled at me like everything was fine.

"Okay, we're done for now, Miss Swan."

Once I arrived at the hospital, I tried once again to insist that I did not need to go to the emergency room. However, the medics refused to let me go, saying that Edward had given them specific instructions.

I rolled my eyes. Edward was turning out to be a lot of trouble.

They escorted me inside the hospital and straight back to one of the small rooms full of medical equipment.

"We'll call Doctor Cullen and tell him you're here," one of them told me before they both left the room, leaving me sitting alone on the paper covered hospital bed.

I inspected the room, trying to decide which instruments they might try to use on me and figuring out ways I could convince them that I didn't need any of it. I had gotten halfway through the instruments on the far wall when the door opened for Doctor Cullen.

He looked just like his two sons in the sense that he also had the pale skin and honey colored eyes that matched theirs exactly. He looked far too young to have sons in their 20's. He, like his sons, was very attractive, and I realized when he spoke that his voice also was much like his sons'.

"Good afternoon, Miss Swan," he said gently. "How is your head?"

"It really is fine," I claimed. "But no one will believe me."

"Well, it's always best to be sure," he said with a smile. "I'm going to check for a concussion then treat the cut."

I nodded.

"We also called your father and told him where you are," he told me and he took out a clipboard and started marking on it. "I hope that's alright."

I groaned internally, but audibly I just said, "Yes, that's fine."

"Ok," he said with a smile. "He's in the waiting room. He'll be allowed in as soon as we finish here."

_Even better, _I thought sarcastically.

Dr. Cullen checked my eyes for signs of a concussion and then asked me a series of questions. He seemed glad that I could remember everything that had happened that day up to the point of my fall and after I woke up.

"Alright, Bella," he finally announced. "You seem to have given yourself a moderate concussion. Judging by the amount of time you were unconscious, you're lucky it's not worse."

"Thank you," I said, nodding politely.

"Now for the back of your head," he said, taking out some kind of ointment and some gauze. "The medics dressed it, but I want to take a quick look."

He walked around behind the table I was sitting on to get a better look at the back of my head. Taking off the bandages was painful, but Dr. Cullen was as gentle as he could be.

I heard him sigh before he walked back around the table to face me.

"Bella, this is a pretty serious cut. It's going to need stitches."

I groaned. I was convinced I would have been just fine without ever having been to the hospital.

Seven stitches and a few painkillers later, Dr. Cullen left, saying he would send Charlie. I was wishing that Charlie had gone home when a knock sounded from the door.

"Come in," I called across the room.

"How are you feeling?" Said a pleasant voice from the doorway.

I glanced up to meet Edward's sparkling eyes. A broad smile made its way onto my face as Edward walked over to where I was sitting.

"I told you two hours ago I was fine," I said. "Fine still stands."

"But you have to be better now that you're all patched up?" He asked hopefully.

"Oh, better now that I got an unnecessarily bright light shone into my eyes to tell me that I have a concussion _and _had the back of my head sewn together?" I asked sarcastically. "Oh yes, much better."

He laughed. "I'm sorry, I just had to make sure you were okay."

"Never been better," I said with a smile.

"Well, I'm glad to know you're okay," he said. "I actually have to go to work, but I'll see you around, alright?"

Although I was a bit disappointed he couldn't stay longer, I agreed and he left the room.

Next came the tornado I had been expecting. Charlie stormed into the room with more anger than I had ever seen anyone have in a hospital.

"I ask you to do _one_ thing- _stay close_- and you can't even do that!" He fumed. "You have no idea what I thought when I found out you were gone!"

"Oh, let me guess," I returned, yelling back at him in response. "You must have thought 'Wow, what a relief, she's finally gone!' Was that it, _Dad_? Don't you think life would just be a lot easier without me around?"

"It would be!" He exclaimed, his anger growing with every word. "We looked for you for almost an hour before we had to get back!"

"Whatever, Dad," I said with a huff. "I laid in the forest unconscious for over an hour before Edward Cullen found me and called an ambulance. You couldn't have been looking very hard if he found me and you couldn't."

With a huge sigh, Charlie clenched and unclenched his fists in anger before storming out of the room.

I crossed my arms, hoping he wouldn't come back.

When Dr. Cullen came back a few minutes later to check on me, I was still in a bad mood.

"Can I go home now?" I asked curtly as he looked at the stitches on the back of my head.

He didn't reply at first. He inspected the stitches with a few comments and came back around to the counter where his clipboard was sitting. He made a few notes while I sat impatiently on the bed.

"Well Bella, everything is looking good. You're still not showing any signs of the concussion affecting you and your stitches are looking better. You can go home."

My anger immediately dissipated and I hopped down off the bed.

"Thanks!" I chirped, grabbing my bag.

I could see Dr. Cullen stifling a chuckle from my reaction at the news that I could get out of there.

"Check out at the desk at the end of the hallway and you'll be free to go."

I hurried down the hallway, checked out, and was out of the hospital and back into the dreary weather of Forks. I stopped short when I saw my rental car parked right in front of me.

"I thought it might be nice not to have to go all the way back out to the forest today," said a voice from behind me.

I turned and saw Edward walking out of the hospital with his hands in his pockets.

"Thank you!" I said, relieved I wouldn't have to go pick up my car later. "How did you get the keys?"

"Your father gave them to me while we were waiting on you to get stitched up," he shrugged. "He doesn't seem to like me very much, by the way."

I rolled my eyes. "Charlie doesn't like anybody."

He laughed, and I admired his crooked smile.

"So, did you learn anything today?" He asked.

"Um, let me see," I said with a laugh. "Don't climb on slippery rocks?"

He laughed along with me. "No, I meant about the case."

"Oh, well, not really, but I found a couple things I want to look into."

"Like what?" He asked.

"Well, I saw before that the cause of death was undetermined, but today I heard the two officers talking about it and they both had different opinions on what killed those people," I explained. "I'd like to dig into that a little bit."

Edward nodded in return.

"Hmm…well, let me know if you find anything interesting," he said.

"Will do," I replied with a smile.

I turned and walked to my car, getting in and shutting the door before I realized a problem- I didn't have the keys. Right as I realized it, a tap on my window caught my attention. Edward was standing there with his face in the window, the keys dangling from his index finger.

I laughed and rolled down the window.

"Thanks," I said, taking the keys from him.

"See you around, Bella," he said with a wave.


	5. Dangerous

Chapter 5: Dangerous

That night, I laid in bed for almost an hour thinking about the murders. I replayed everything Rodney and Steve, the two police officers I followed in the forest, had said. I pondered the conversation and the information I had been given from Charlie and Mr. Davenport. None of it added up—I couldn't figure out how these two people had been killed. I finally decided that I needed more information on the matter.

I slept uneasily that night, my sleep marred by nightmares. I had always heard never to go to sleep thinking about anything unpleasant because then it will make its way into your dreams. I had never had evidence to that fact until that night.

When I dreamed, I was back in the forest. I couldn't see anything- not even my hands in front of my face. I heard the leaves rustling around me, but I couldn't tell where the noise was coming from. I tried to run away, but I felt glued to the spot. Panic struck me as I sensed something coming out of the bushes. Without actually seeing what I was so afraid of, I braced myself, covering my face. Frigid steel wrapped around my waist and pulled me backward into a sun filled meadow. I looked behind me to realize that it was Edward that had pulled me from the forest. Gently, he laid us both on the ground.

"What was that?" I asked him urgently, propping myself up on my elbow to look at him.

"Bella, don't go into the forest," he said, his once honey colored eyes now black onyx. "It's dangerous."

"But you were out there alone!" I protested.

"I'm dangerous," he said, getting up off the ground. He started walking away without another look at me.

I stood to my feet hurriedly, trying to stop him and talk to him again. By the time I stood and looked around, he was gone. I started to run toward the forest again, but as soon as I reached the tree line, I heard Edward's voice again.

"Stop, Bella. It's dangerous."

His voice scared me so badly that I tripped over a small rock in my path and went head first into the ground.

I awoke with a start, my head pounding. Remembering my fall, I reached up to touch my forehead to see if it was bleeding. When I felt nothing out of the ordinary, I realized that it had all been a dream.

I rubbed my eyes and rolled over to look at the clock. It was just a little past six in the morning, and I could see the slight glow of the rising sun through the thin curtains on the windows. I decided that I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, so I threw the comforter back and got out of bed, the shock of the cool air reminding me of Edward's cold grasp around my waist in my dream. I frowned and rubbed my head, trying to erase the bad dream. Instead of erasing the memory, however, I could hear Edward's voice in my head even more clearly: _It's dangerous_.

I showered and dressed, the whole time trying to remember the appearance of the dangerous thing in my dream. All I could remember was the rustle of the dark leaves and the sense of fear that overcame my senses and Edward. Edward's voice washed away my fears and took me from whatever was lurking in the dark forest. He had kept me safe.

As his voice replayed in my head for the millionth time, I felt my determination to find out what was in the forest solidify. Somehow, I knew that I had the key to this mystery if I looked hard enough.

Without even taking the time to finish getting ready, I went to the desk in the corner of the room and took out my computer. I searched for the case on the internet again, this time reading the stories more carefully than I had last time. I skipped over the story of the similar case from 1967 that I read before, but I read every other search result that the search engine returned. I got all the way to page six of the results before I threw myself backwards in the chair in frustration and put my hands over my face. I had found everything from blogs that speculated on different theories of the deaths to official news articles about the case. According to these articles, it was either an animal attack or a murder/suicide. Unfortunately, this was not new information. I was leaning toward the animal attack theory, but I really had no evidence to support that opinion. I just heard Edward telling me, _It's dangerous_.

With that thought, I typed a new search into the engine. I searched for dangerous wildlife of the Forks area. I didn't find anything unusual. I already knew of the bears, the cougars, the snakes, and everything else that I was warned about when I was younger. I hit the back button several times in frustration and ended up back on my original search page. I glared at the unhelpful page for a moment, trying to decide what to do.

From what I could see, I had two options. I could either keep looking on the internet, or I could go to the police station and try to talk to a few of the officers about the case. Since going to the police station probably meant seeing Charlie, I quickly determined to keep looking on the internet. I had always assumed I could find anything on the internet if I looked hard enough for it. With that in mind, I resolved to find everything I could on the internet.

Without having any clear goals, I clicked on the one link I had skipped over before- the link to the story from 1967. The story was familiar and seemed like a waste of my time, but reading the story once again made me curious about the uncanny similarities between my case and this one. Following my curiosity, I went back and tacked on "1967" to my main search and hit enter. A whole new list of results came up. I clicked on the first result and I read through it. It was an article that contained a brief summary of the story followed by the author's ideas about aliens recreating the scene to send us a message. Rolling my eyes, I went back and clicked on the next story. It consisted of a brief summary of the familiar story followed by this writer's idea that the people had been killed by some kind of scientific phenomenon that controls the forest outside of town. I sighed and clicked the back button again. These stories just seemed to get more and more absurd. I thought that perhaps the third time would be the charm and clicked on the next link. This one was a blog, written about a man who was now in the Forks Psychiatric Institution by his grandson.

The blog began with a description of an old book that was a family heirloom in their family entitled _The Cold Ones: __Enemies of Beauty_. I should have stopped once I saw that this was just another supernatural theorist, but this article was much more thought out and expertly written, and it had caught my interest. The author went into great detail of his life and his family's supernatural suspicions. He detailed an encounter between his grandfather and a vampire. The vampire he described had crimson eyes and inhuman beauty; the author's grandfather was awestruck by her. The story explained how she toyed with him, first verbally and then physically abusing him. The author chronicled the vampire's exact words to his grandfather, telling him, in no uncertain terms that she was going to kill him. He lost consciousness after she threw him into a tree, and the next thing he could remember was waking up alone on the forest floor.

When the author's father heard about the mysterious murders in 1967, he remembered his own father's terrorizing story, and felt that this was valuable information in the process of solving the case. He went to the police with his deceased father's story, but the police ridiculed him and passed it off as another conspiracy theorist's tale. Worried for the safety of other people, however, the man did not give up on trying to convince the police that vampires killed those people. He took his message to the streets, trying to convince everyone he saw not to go into the forest for fear that the vampires were still out there. He retold his father's story again and again, begging people not to go into the forest. The people of the town believed the man was crazy, but he didn't give up. He kept pressing the people and the police to believe his story and stay away from the forest. Eventually, everyone knew him as 'The Crazy Man'. He was thrown into a mental institution two months later; he remained there to this day.

I thought about the story for a moment after I unglued my eyes from the computer. There was really no way this story was true. There's no such thing as vampires, and if there was, the author's grandfather wouldn't have lived to tell about it. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I got up from the computer and paced back and forth across the room.

I didn't know what to do- I got on the computer to find some information rather than going to the police station. After reading stories about aliens, scientific anomalies, and vampires, however, it seemed like the only realistic information I was going to get was from real people. The police station seemed like my only option.

I walked into the police station half an hour later without even a glance in the direction of Charlie's office. I went straight to the break room, where I brought out my laptop and waited for an officer to come in. Seeing as how the break room is where they kept the coffee, it wasn't long till an old man I knew as Todd McKee came wandering in. Mr. McKee had worked here at the station for as long as I could remember. I was surprised when I saw him walk into the room, assuming he would have retired long ago, but he had always managed the files for the station in a particular way, and he wouldn't let anyone else get near all the paperwork for fear they would mess it up.

"Mr. McKee?" I asked.

He looked at me and his brow furrowed. "Bella?"

"Yes, sir," I said confidently, going over to shake his hand. "Can I ask you a couple of questions?"

He looked confused, but he nodded and we sat down at the table where I had been sitting.

"So, Mr. McKee, have you read anything about the recent murder investigation?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I've heard a lot about it, but nothing is really for sure. I haven't been out to the forest or seen the bodies or anything."

"Well, do you know what killed them?"

He scoffed. "How would I know? _Nobody_ knows."

I just nodded. The story I read this morning was still eating at my mind. I wanted to ask him about it, but I didn't want him to think I was crazy.

"Well, do you have any theories?" I asked.

"I've heard all kinds of things," he said. "Who knows what's true- murder, animals, aliens, vampires—nobody really knows what to believe, you know?"

I could feel my face lift at the mention of the vampire story. I decided to feign ignorance and see what he said about it.

"Vampires?" I asked, trying to sound surprised and shocked.

"Yeah," he chuckled, "I thought it sounded crazy too, but ol' Jim Charles sure was convinced."

"Jim Charles?" I asked.

"Yeah, he used to be a great doctor here in town. After a couple murders in the sixties, he started claiming that vampires were killing people. He just got crazier and crazier, spreading his story about vampires to anyone that walked by him. Soon enough, he was in a mental institution outside of town. He really bothered people for a while- made them uneasy, you know."

I raised my eyebrows in interest.

"Its been rumored that his son thinks the same thing about last week's murders, but he's not saying anything because he doesn't want to get thrown into an institution like his dad," he said.

"That's some story," I said with a small shrug.

"Yeah, well, people gotta have something to believe sometimes, but like I said, it's just a ridiculous story."

"Yeah," I agreed halfheartedly.

"Well, I have to go back to work," he said, and with a nod, he left the room.

My heart pounded when I thought of vampires, but a strange excitement inside me urged me to continue investigating. Now that I knew people were aware of the vampire story, I wanted to ask the next person I talked to about that story specifically. I tapped my fingernails on the table in front of me impatiently while I waited for someone else to come into the break room.

My opportunity came a few minutes later when Emmett Cullen entered the room.

"Hey, Emmett," I called from across the room. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

His eyes lit up when he saw me and a broad, toothy smile spread across his face.

"Hey Bella! What do you need?" He asked, sitting down in the same chair that Mr. McKee had occupied earlier.

"I wanted to ask you about a story I've been hearing. It's actually a theory on how those people in the woods died."

"Oh-well, I don't really know much about it," he said. "I'm not really part of that case."

I considered just asking someone else about it, but I decided to go ahead and ask Emmett- the worst thing he could say is that he has never heard of it.

"Well, I actually heard this weird rumor that vampires might have done it," I said cautiously.

Emmett's eyes got wide and he seemed to stiffen visibly in his chair.

"Wh-Where did you hear that?" He stammered.

"Um, a couple different places," I said slowly. I had never imagined he would react like that.

"Alright," he said, mimicking my slow speech. "Well, don't go asking a lot of people about that."

"Why?" I asked.

He paused for a moment and shifted in his seat. "You just don't want people thinking you believe in vampires."

I nodded slowly. He quickly stood, almost knocking the chair backward. Clearly, he was not interested in answering any more questions.

"I've gotta go," he said. "See you around, Bella."

"Bye," I mumbled in return, even though he was out of earshot by the time I said it.

Well, that was weird. I knew the topic of vampires could scare some people, but Emmett didn't strike me as the kind of person to be afraid of anything.

I waited a few more minutes in the break room and no one came in. I realized that I was probably walking on thin ice with Charlie not knowing I was here, so I decided to pack up my things and leave.

On the drive back to my hotel, I was lost in thought until I heard my phone buzzing from deep inside my bag. Trying to keep one eye on the road, I dug through my purse to find my phone, just as it stopped ringing. I saw from the display that it was Jacob who had tried to call me, so I immediately called him back.

"Hey Jake!" I said happily when he answered.

"Hey Bella!" He said, excitement reflecting in his voice as well. "How is your trip?"

"Best week of my life," I said sarcastically. "There's been a blow up between your dad, my dad, and me, a concussion which resulted in an hour of unconsciousness alone in the forest, stitches, and another fight between my dad and I- and I'm still no closer to figuring any of this out and getting home."

"My dad too?" He asked in pained sympathy.

"Yep," I affirmed. "In front of the whole diner."

"God, Bella, I'm really sorry," he said.

"Yeah, well, I'm still alive," I said. "Even if I do have a headache."

He chuckled. "How bad was the concussion?"

"Not terrible," I said. "They didn't make me stay overnight in the hospital."

"Hmm," he said in understanding. He had spent a night with me in the hospital after a worse concussion caused by a confrontation with the corner of my desk. "And you're not about to figure out the case?"

I groaned in frustration. "No, I don't think so," I said. "All I've really found is a similar case from 1967. Apparently someone told everyone in town that vampires were at fault—he's been in an institution since then. No real leads."

Jacob laughed. "Wow, now that might be worth checking out."

I just laughed along with him.

"Actually, it really might be worth checking out," he said thoughtfully.

"Are you serious? Vampires? That's ridiculous."

"Well, does anybody else believe him?"

"I don't know," I said slowly. "His son does, I think, but he hasn't publicly announced it or anything. Other than that, I really don't know."

"Is his son in the institution too?" He asked.

"No, I was actually reading a blog he wrote about his father and the 1967 case this morning."

"Did he sound crazy?"

"Well, he was talking about vampires," I laughed.

"Very true," Jacob laughed along with me. "But he might be able to tell you something. After all, you don't have any other solutions to the case, do you?"

"True," I said. "I don't know what else to do. Maybe he'll at least be able to give me some kind of _reasonable_ lead."

"Alright," Jacob chuckled. "I've gotta go back to work. My lunch break is over."

"Ok. Thanks, Jake."

"You're welcome. Hope you find something soon."

"Bye," I said, shutting my phone.

I thought about what Jacob had said. Finding the author of the blog and paying a visit to him definitely couldn't hurt. By the time I was back to my hotel room, I was determined to find the man.

After dropping my computer and bag back in my room, I went down to the front desk and retrieved a phone book. I remembered that Mr. McKee had said that the institutionalized man's name was Jim Charles—I just hoped his son's phone number wasn't unlisted.

My search for "Charles" was easy- there were only two in Forks. One was listed as Charles, Julia and the other was Charles, Michael. I crossed my fingers and dialed the number for Michael Charles.

"Hello?" said a man's voice from the other end of the phone.

"Hello, is this Michael Charles?" I asked.

"Yes it is, who is this?" The man asked.

"My name is Bella Swan," I said cautiously, avoiding telling him that I was a reporter on purpose. "Are you the son of Jim Charles?"

The line was silent for a moment.

"Yes," the man finally said. "Who wants to know?"

"I read your article online, Mr. Charles. I want to know more about your theory."

"It's my father's theory!" He barked swiftly. "Not mine!"

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. "Would you mind meeting me to talk about it?"

He was quiet again, pondering my question.

"I teach physics at the high school. I have a free period tomorrow from 2:15 until 3:00."

I smiled to myself. "Thank you very much," I said.

I hung up with Mr. Charles feeling more optimistic about my investigation and excited to meet him tomorrow.

I sat back and noticed that it was still early afternoon. Without any real leads for my story until my meeting with Mr. Charles tomorrow afternoon, I didn't have anything to do. I definitely wasn't going to call up Charlie and try to make amends again- he had proven that he cared nothing about me. I thought of Edward, but we hadn't really made it to the friend level yet- I'd call us acquaintances.

I spent the rest of the afternoon vegging out in front of the TV in my hotel room; I fell asleep without getting ready for bed. When I woke up, my eyes were blurry and stuck together, my hair was matted, and my clothes were twisted around me. I groaned and straightened my shirt. Glancing at the clock, I realized that it was almost ten in the morning. I had slept for almost twelve hours!

Even though I knew I didn't have anywhere to be, I rushed through getting ready, just because I had been laying in bed for so long. I went downstairs to find the continental breakfast that the hotel supplied and sat in a corner of the dining room while I ate.

While I finished my breakfast, I started thinking about how long I had been away from Forks. True, it had never been home sweet home, but it was still the place where I grew up. I started remembering all my favorite spots in town to run away when the tension with Charlie got too high or when I just needed my own space. I always had a special corner in the bookstore where an old dark blue wing back chair sat. I used to sit in that chair for hours when I would pick a random book off of the shelf and just read. Smiling, I knew what I would do until my meeting with Mr. Charles.

I had to drive to the bookstore because of the torrential rain that had begun right after breakfast, but I was hardly aware of the rain as I sat comfortably in my old favorite place. I pulled out a book that I had begun reading on my trip, and curled into the chair. I was hardly aware of time passing, but when I closed the last page of the book, I glanced at my watch. It was now one thirty. I hardly had time to pick up another book, but it wasn't time to go to the high school either. Remembering the row of shops where the book store was positioned, I decided to see if anything had changed while I had been gone.

Luckily the rain had stopped, but a thick cloud cover and a dense humidity still hung in the air. I walked down the sidewalk with my hands in my pockets, pausing outside the numerous antique stores to peer in the windows, never going inside.

As I turned the corner, I recognized a store that I had never seen before. It was called Lily's Music Emporium, and there was a beautiful piano tune coming out of the open doors. I wandered inside, amazed by all the autographed guitars hanging on the wall behind the counter and the organized chaos of instruments littering the floor and shelves all over the shop.

"Hello, dear," called a middle aged lady from behind the counter.

I returned her greeting and continued to wander around the shop. The piano tune was now softer and the sound was more of a soothing melody, but it was no less wonderful. I followed the sound of the piano to the very back corner of the shop, where there was an old intricately designed wooden piano.

I smiled broadly when I realized who was playing.

"Edward?" I asked the mess of bronze hair in front of me.

The music abruptly stopped and he turned around to face me.

"Bella!" He said, now returning my wide smile. "I was wondering if I was going to see you again."

I smiled at his comment before walking closer to the piano where he had been playing.

"You play beautifully," I said, running my fingers over the smooth keys at one end of the piano.

"Thanks," he said graciously. "The music helps me calm down. It's been a rough day at work."

My questioning eyes asked him to elaborate, but I didn't want to pry.

"I had a patient who died this morning," he said slowly. He hung his head and began toying with one of the pockets on his scrubs.

"I'm sorry," I said gently, sitting down on the piano bench beside him. I stared at his perfect downcast features while he hung his head in sadness.

"It's just tough losing somebody," he said. "I came down here to try to calm down before my next surgery."

"So you come here to play often?" I asked.

"Every once in a while," he shrugged. "Whenever I need a quick break. Lily says I'm the only one she'll let touch any of the instruments in here," he chuckled.

I smiled back at him.

"What are you doing down here?" He asked.

"I'm interviewing one of the teachers at the high school at 2:15."

He raised his eyebrows in question, so I continued.

"Michael Charles. His father had a theory that vampires killed some people in 1967. The similarities between the two cases is uncanny."

Edward's eyes seemed to harden, but he didn't say anything.

"Have you heard anything about that?" I asked.

For a moment, he didn't respond. I began to look puzzled, but right before I could say anything else he answered.

"I've heard of it."

I couldn't keep the strange, confused look off of my face at his answering tone. Where his voice had been kind and warm, it was now stiff and curt.

"I've gotta go back to work," he said quickly before I could say anything else. "Be careful."

I remained sitting on the piano bench while he grabbed his white coat and stalked out of the store.

I couldn't understand why Edward was upset with me—it seemed like I had stepped into something that he did not like. He had been so good natured in the forest, but the Edward I just talked to was the exact opposite.

I checked my watch and realized that I only had a little over twenty minutes till my meeting with Mr. Charles, so I quickly left the shop and went back to my car to drive to the school.

I rolled my eyes when I drove into the school parking lot. This place harbored some memories I would rather not revisit. My only hope was that I wouldn't have to see some of my old teachers. I hoped that after six years, they had mostly retired or moved on to some other school, but it was highly doubtful.

That wish was not fulfilled as I walked into the office and saw the same woman who had been sitting behind that desk for at least ten years now, Ms. Cope, neatly stacking some papers in a bin on her desk.

"Excuse me?" I asked. "I'm here to see Mr. Charles- can you tell me where his room is?"

She glanced up, but then had to do a double take. "Oh- Bella Swan!" She exclaimed. "Why are you here?"

"To speak with Mr. Charles," I said curtly. Ms. Cope was known all over town for being a loud mouth gossiper. She had personally begun a horrifying rumor about Jacob and me when we went to school here. I think it was safe to say that she began the entire imaginary relationship between us. She was the reason most of the town believed that Jacob and I were involved romantically.

I wasn't about to let her know my business with Mr. Charles, or else I knew she would share my investigation with the entire town.

She pointed one of her stubby fingers to the right and gave me quick instructions for how to get to his room.

"Thank you," I said as I left the office.

I remembered the building well, and had no problem finding the room. I put my hand to the door and knocked a couple times before pushing it open to see a gray haired man organizing some papers on the large desk in the room.

"Hello- Mr. Charles?" I asked timidly.

His head shot up quickly and he looked me over suspiciously.

"Hello, Miss Swan," he said, turning back to his papers. "If you can wait just a moment, we'll go have a talk."

I nodded and watched as he sifted through the papers as if he were looking for something. He looked like a nutty professor out of a movie. He had unruly salt and pepper hair, a pair of horn rimmed glasses, and he wore an old suit with frayed edges. Finally, he grabbed a thick packet of papers, tucked it under his arm, and walked over to the doorway, motioning for me to follow. I was nervous at the prospect of following this man wherever he was taking me. My curiosity won over, however, and I followed him back through the hallways and out the back door of the school.


	6. Defying Gravity

**-=- Thank you thank you thank you to my beta Leah- you're amazing. -=- **

**Go check out her new story too! Its called "Hiding Behind a Mask." Its great!**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Defying Gravity**

"_Something has changed within me  
Something is not the same  
I'm through with playing by the rules  
Of someone else's game  
Too late for second-guessing  
Too late to go back to sleep  
It's time to trust my instincts  
Close my eyes and leap__ "_

I followed Mr. Charles back through the hallways of the school, past the age old lockers, and out the back doors of the school to several picnic tables in the school yard. He sat and motioned to the bench across the table for me to sit.

"What do you want, Miss Swan?" He asked in a stiff voice as he placed the packet of physics papers that he had taken from his desk onto the table in front of us.

Uncomfortably, I shifted in my seat and searched for the first thing I would ask him.

"Um, Mr. Charles…how much do you know about last week's murders?" I asked.

He shook his head as if in irritation and ran his fingers back through his hair.

"Not much."

"On your blog, you mentioned your father's belief that vampires were the perpetrators of the murders in 1967," I said slowly. "What evidence does he have to believe that?"

He was silent for a moment, pondering my question.

"Well, there were several things that made him believe that- namely my grandfather's experience with vampires. But- well-" he cut off, appearing anxious.

Seeing the problem in our situation, I tried to find the words to make him comfortable telling me what he knew. I opted for straightforward honesty.

"Mr. Charles, I know this might be difficult to talk about because of what happened to your father, but I want you to know that you can trust me."

The frown on his face grew as I spoke, and by the time I ended my sentence, he had taken his papers off the table and was standing to go back inside.

"I can't do this, Miss Swan, I'm sorry," he said as he turned.

I buried my head in my hands as I listened to his footsteps leading away from where we had been sitting.

"Mr. Charles, wait," I begged out of desperation. "I need this. I have to find out how this happened. You're my last hope."

He stopped and I saw him reach up to scratch the back of his head in frustration.

"I need to know how this happened..."

"Okay," he said with a sigh. "But you _will not_ tell anyone else this story. It will not be repeated or written or documented in any way, and you will not attribute it to me. Agreed?"

I tried to keep the smile from blossoming over my face at his acquiescence.

"Agreed," I said happily.

He came back and sat down again, placing the papers on the middle of the table again in an agitated way.

"Go ahead, ask away…" he said roughly.

"Well..." I began, "would you mind just telling me your story?"

He paused and sighed deeply before beginning.

"I don't really know where to start with all of this, Miss Swan," he said, "but I need you to know that I'm not crazy. I'm going to do everything I can to give you the whole truth and make you believe me. My father tried to do that, but no one would listen long enough to believe him. Will you listen to everything I have to say?"

I nodded solemnly.

"Well, first, I made a copy of this book for you," he said, pushing the packet of papers across the table to me; it was labeled _Physics in the Modern World_.

I frowned and looked at the cover page in confusion. He reached across and pulled back the cover page, revealing a different cover page that read _The Cold Ones: Enemies of Beauty_.

"That's the book you talked about in your blog," I said in understanding.

He nodded. "I'm not sure how many people believe what is written in this book, but I can assure you that it is true. I copied this portion of the book for you to keep and read through some time. There's more detailed information about vampires, their practices, and some other less important things about them."

I took the packet and gingerly flipped through the copied pages.

"Do you know anything about vampires, Miss Swan?" He asked, catching my attention back from the book.

I shook my head. "I just know what's in stories- the caskets, the sun, stuff like that."

He rolled his eyes. "None of that is true. The one thing in all the stories is true, however- they are completely lethal. They are the fastest, strongest, and most cunning of all the enemies of humans. There is no escape from one of them."

"What about your grandfather?" I asked.

"That's the one thing I can't explain," Mr. Charles said, slowly shaking his head. "After he was attacked, my grandfather found this book and started trying to explain his experience."

"Cold Ones?" I asked as I examined the title page of the book.

"It's an ancient name given to the vampires by their enemies," he said slowly. "Their skin feels like ice to the touch. It's one of their most distinguishing and easily recognizable characteristics."

I just nodded, excited that my questions might be answered today.

"So, the vampires kill in a very particular way," he began again. "It is nothing that a human could reproduce. That is why my father and I are so certain of what killed those people."

He flipped open the copied book to a page in the middle. "This is a vampire's bite mark," he said, pointing to a picture of a crescent shaped mark.

"That makes sense," I said slowly. It was just the shape of any human bite mark, but it appeared to be very deep.

He told me about every characteristic of the vampires, from the pale skin to the crimson eyes and the alluring beauty. He described how the body of a victim would look- in more detail than I cared to hear. He explained their lifestyles and habits, and even explained how people become vampires.

I realized during his story that I had goosebumps crawling over my skin, despite the warm afternoon sun.

Finally, with a quick glance at his watch, Mr. Charles started gathering his things.

"I have to go teach another class," he said.

I was disappointed, and it must have shown on my face. I had so many other questions.

He was fidgeting with the frayed corner of his suit again, and he spoke slowly. "I can come back out afterward, though."

I felt my frown instantly lift. "You wouldn't mind?"

He sighed reluctantly, and I could see a muscle in his jaw tense, but he shook his head.

"No, I don't mind."

As he walked away, I smiled to myself. I still couldn't decide if I believed him or not, but I did know that I was getting valuable information from him. I took the packet of pages and began leafing through the contents. As I glanced through the pictures of the artist's representation of different vampires, I couldn't help but feel as though I were flipping through the latest issue of Vogue rather than looking at a lethal creature.

Their beauty was surreal and I couldn't help but feel jealous of their perfect features.

As I perused the book, I learned more about the vampires- their survival instincts, their nomadic lifestyle, and their brutal practices. I was so engrossed in the book that when Mr. Charles came back outside, I didn't even notice.

"So, are you ready to see what everyone else has missed?" He asked.

I nodded slowly.

"I want to take you out to the forest to see something," he said slowly. "Would you mind?"

"Not at all," I said with a smile.

We agreed that I would follow him out there in my own car, and we set off down the road.

Once again I walked up the hill to where the bodies were found. Mr. Charles and I walked past where I had stopped with Charlie and the other officers and continued up the hill to the big rock that I had fallen from.

"Here we are," he said, placing his hands on his hips and scrutinizing the rock.

I took a few steps back and looked at the rock as well.

"Do you see that?" He asked.

I frowned and shook my head, looking to him to explain what I was missing.

"Look at it, Miss Swan," he prompted.

I turned my attention back to the rock. I felt like I was looking at one of those mind game pictures where you have to look at it a certain way to see what you're looking for. Right now, I just saw a rock, but he was insistent that I keep looking.

"Oh my God," I said suddenly.

Just when I was about to give up I recognized an indention in the rock. It was the shape of a person.

"Vampires did that?" I asked.

He nodded. "There's a couple of other places like that around here- in trees, on the ground. You can tell there was a struggle, the police just don't know what to look for."

I felt my heart hammering in my chest.

"Is it safe to be out here?" I asked, trying to keep the panic out of my voice.

"Yeah, with all the snooping around people have been doing and all the investigations going on, they moved on a long time ago. Probably the same day."

I nodded, trying to force myself to be calm.

"That's not to say there's not other, more civilized vampires still around," he added.

"What?!" I exclaimed, fear striking me all over again. "_Civilized?!_"

"Civilized," he repeated again, without any regard to my panicked state. "They won't hurt anyone. Well, except the local bear population."

My heart continued to hammer in my chest.

"They call themselves vegetarians, I believe," he said with a chuckle. "They're really quite a nice family."

_Vegetarians? Family? Nice?!_

"So..." I began, trying to hide my confusion, "you've met them?"

"Most people in town have, actually."

"Who are they?" I asked.

He shifted his weight uncomfortably back and forth and cleared his throat before answering. "Well, I don't think I'm really supposed to say. You see, most people in town have met them, but they don't know who, or what, I should probably say, they are."

I was quiet, trying to search through everyone I knew to figure out who this mysterious vampire family was, when he interrupted my thoughts.

"I need to head back into town," he said. "Are you ready to go?"

"I think I'll stay here for a while," I replied. "I need to think."

He nodded and turned to walk back down the path that led to our cars at the bottom of the hill.

"One more thing," he said, turning back around to face me. "Do you believe me?"

I nodded solemnly. "I think I do."

He nodded in return and began his descent down the hill.

_Do I?_

My mind circled the possibility, wandering in and out of all the details that seemed to match the story. There were just too many things that fit—too many things to ignore. Now that I had heard the truth, I couldn't deny it. Vampires committed the murders.

A shiver went down my back at the ugly truth. Vampires. Right here in this clearing.

I quickly diverted my mind to something else. I still had to write the story on this. Only then did I realize the full depth of the promise I had made to Mr. Charles. I couldn't write the truth. I wouldn't go back on my word. It's not like anyone would've believed me anyway.

I sat on the forest floor with my back against the rock while I carefully wrote all my thoughts in the notebook I had been keeping for the case. I had been listing everything I heard or observed over the last few days, including the information about vampires. Then, I carefully considered and crossed out what I could not use in my story. This included all the information about vampires and anything that could lead to that conclusion. I was left with hardly anything but the information I had been given in the first place.

I shook my head and pulled my legs to my chest, placing my head on my knees and closing my eyes. I didn't know what to do. I had finally figured out my story, but I couldn't write it.

I heard the leaves rustle behind me as if they were touched by a quick gust of wind, and I looked up. I heard a crash behind me and someone screaming in a high pitched voice. Tentatively, I stood to find the source of the noise. As far as I could remember, there had been no other cars down at the entrance to the trail, so I was mystified by someone else's presence.

As I rounded the rock, I was relieved to see a familiar face. Edward was standing there, running his hand through his hair and wearing that beautiful crooked smile. I stood there, smiling uncontrollably, mesmerized by his beauty until his eyes met mine.

"Hey, Bella," he said. He then turned around and whistled through his teeth to get the attention of the other two people behind him who were currently bickering.

When they looked our direction, I realized that one of them was Emmett Cullen, but I didn't recognize the small girl with her hands on her hips yelling at him.

"Oh! Hey, Bella!" Emmett rumbled excitedly, coming over to where we were standing.

The small girl followed behind him as she eyed me suspiciously.

"So this is Bella?" She asked.

My cheeks blushed bright red when I realized that either Edward or Emmett had been talking about me.

"Yeah, this is the girl I was telling you about," Edward replied, making my cheeks blush even brighter. "Bella, this is my sister, Alice."

"Hi, Alice," I said politely.

"I'm so excited to meet you!" Alice chirped.

Her enthusiasm surprised me, and I stifled a laugh in return.

"What are you doing out here Bella?" Edward asked, turning back to me as Alice and Emmett started talking between themselves again.

"I was... well... I think I figured out the case," I said hesitantly. I tried to skirt around the facts to protect the story that Mr. Charles had given me.

He raised his eyebrows at me and asked me to continue.

"I can't really tell you," I said slowly. "You'll think I'm crazy."

Edward started to respond, but we were interrupted by Emmett.

"Hey, dude, we're going to head back. Alice is being a pain," he said. "You coming?"

Edward considered it for a moment, but shook his head.

"Nah, I'm gonna stick around here for a little bit. I'll be home in a little while."

"Ok," Emmett said, and turned to walk back in the other direction.

"So, what did you figure out?" He asked again, turning back to me.

"Edward, I can't really talk about it. I promised the person who told me that I wouldn't."

We stared into each others' eyes while he waited for me to tell him, but I was more stubborn than he knew.

"Dammit," he mumbled, breaking his stare and running his hands through his hair again.

"What?" I asked, mystified by his sudden frustration.

"You talked to Michael Charles didn't you?"

I grasped for an answer to his blunt question, but I came up with nothing.

"Dammit, Bella, why can't you just follow a normal theory like most people? Animals or something like that?"

His harsh words brought stinging tears to my eyes and I shouldered my bag and pushed past him to go back down the trail to my car. I crossed my arms over my chest and started walking, wondering to myself why he was so angry at the conclusion I had come to.

While I thought about Edward, I neglected to pay attention to the trail in front of me. My arms were still crossed over my chest when my foot caught a raised root in the path. I braced myself and pinched my eyes shut in preparation for the encounter with the dirt path in front of me, but instead of soil and rocks, I felt a steady pair of arms around my middle.

My eyes sprung open in surprise and I was met with Edward's face, inches from mine, still set into a stiff glare.

"Bella, if you're going to make a statement by walking away, it's best to do it more gracefully."

The words stuck in my throat as I tried to compose a witty comeback. I was still held just inches off the ground by only one of his strong arms, and his sweet breath on my face and the close proximity of his perfect face to mine only made it more difficult.

"Sorry...?" I finally responded.

His cultivated glare slowly drained from his face and his crooked smile replaced it.

"Can you let me up now?" I asked timidly trying not to trigger his anger again.

Instead of setting me back on my feet, he bent down and swooped my whole body up into his arms and carried me back up the trail to the rock.

After carefully setting me down at the foot of the rock, he sat down next to me.

"How did you do that?" I asked as he settled into his seat.

"I can do things you've never even _dreamed _of," he said, leaning close to me as he said it as if it were a secret.

I blushed furiously and engrossed myself in brushing off the dirt that I had gotten on my jeans.

He chuckled slightly at my reaction.

As I regained my composure I felt the need to make some sort of jab back at him.

"So, is that how you try to apologize?" I asked, referring to the way he just saved me from going face down in the dirt.

"Well, I don't make a habit of offending people," he replied smoothly, "but when I do, saving their lives always seems to make up for it."

"You didn't save my life," I retorted scornfully.

He just raised his eyebrows and turned his gaze out to the forest around us.

"How did you get over there so fast?" I asked after a moment of silence.

"Hmm?"

"How did you reach me in time to keep me from falling? I was listening for your steps behind me, and you weren't following me."

"I was right behind you," he said smoothly, shrugging off my question.

I frowned but didn't try arguing with him. I knew he hadn't been right behind me, but his nonchalance concerning the situation made me drop my questioning.

"So, tell me why you believe Michael Charles' theory on vampires," he said, turning his head back to face me.

His question caught me off guard. I hadn't expected him to bring up the story again after it had made him so upset.

"Well, um, I don't know..." I said. "Nothing else really fits."

He raised his eyebrows at me.

"You don't know?"

"Well, he told me all kinds of things about vampires, and everything just added up. Nothing else makes more sense."

"I see," he murmured slowly.

"He also gave me this," I said, pulling out the copied pages of the book Mr. Charles had given me. "I haven't had a chance to look at all of it yet, but it's very interesting."

I handed him the pages and he began leafing through them haphazardly.

"So now that you believe in vampires, what makes you think its safe to sit here in the forest by yourself?" He asked critically, giving the book back to me.

"He said that the vampires that killed the people are gone now and that the other ones won't hurt me," I shrugged.

"He told you there were other ones?" Edward gasped, turning all the way towards me and losing all of his relaxed composure.

I raised my eyebrows as I surveyed his agitated stance.

"Yeah, but he said they're civilized. He wouldn't tell me who they were."

Edward ran his hand back through his hair.

"Why are you out here if you're so worried about it?" I asked.

"Well, first of all, I was out here with two other people- not alone," he said with a sharp glare. "We were just out here having lunch."

I stifled a laugh.

"You were having a picnic?"

He raised his eyebrows in question.

"I can't see you _or _Emmett going on a picnic," I laughed.

When my laughter died down, I turned my head back in his direction, only to find him once again within inches of my face.

"Bella," he breathed, his sweet breath cooling my face. "Don't make fun."

I was dumbfounded by his proximity, and I couldn't do anything but shake my head.

"Sorry..." I mumbled.

When he backed away, I regained my breath and sat up straight.

He chuckled lightheartedly and leaned his head back on the rock and closed his eyes.

I studied his perfect features. I could still see the tight muscles in his arms, even though they were casually draped over his raised knees, and I could peek under his arm to see the muscles on his front as his chest rose and fell with each breath.

"What are you looking at?" He asked without ever opening his eyes.

His unexpected question caused me to start and quickly check the small smile that had been forming unnoticed on my lips.

I considered his question for a moment before answering.

"You're not like anyone I've ever met," I said.

He gave a slight chuckle and shook his head.

"You have no idea."

I rolled my eyes at his seemingly sarcastic response.

The silence was still and comfortable between us for a few minutes while we both enjoyed the cool air under the canopy of trees.

"How many brothers and sisters do you have?" I asked suddenly, remembering the Emmett and Alice from earlier.

He brought his head up from where it had been resting on the rock behind us and gave me a funny look.

"What makes you ask that?"

"Just wondering. I've now met Emmett and Alice, and it just made me curious because your father looks so young."

He chuckled.

"Everyone always wonders about that," he said. "We were actually all adopted by my mother and father when we were younger. There's five of us total. You haven't met my brother Jasper or my sister Rosalie."

I raised my eyebrows in amazement.

"What are you doing this afternoon?" He asked suddenly, turning to face me with a mischievous smile on his face.

I shrugged.

"I was going to try to start on my story, but I can hold off on that if something better comes along," I replied.

"Would you like to go somewhere with me?" He asked.

My eyebrows knit together warily but he rolled his eyes when he saw it.

"Come on, it'll be fun," he urged.

"Okay," I said, fighting the butterflies that were threatening to flutter in my stomach.


	7. Nothing Else Matters

**Thanks to my beta Leah, not only for being your awesome self, but for getting this back to me so fast! I think I would have had a heart attack if I had to wait to put this one out!!**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. **

* * *

**Chapter 7: Nothing Else Matters**

Edward and I arrived at my car in what felt like record time. Throughout the walk, I had found myself struggling to keep up with his quick pace. I made a mental note to hit the gym when I got back to Seattle.

"Keys?" He requested as he walked around to the driver's side of the car.

"You're not driving my car!" I exclaimed.

"Bella..." he said patronizingly. "Remember, I've driven your car before- to the hospital for you. Also, you don't know where my house is."

"Your house?" I asked tentatively.

"I just have to grab a couple things before we go. Can I have the keys?" He asked again.

"Fine," I mumbled, grabbing the keys out of my car and throwing them at him.

He caught them easily even though my pitching skills were subpar.

"Impressive," I said with a teasing smile.

"I aim to please," he said with a wink as we got into the car.

My head spun and butterflies filled my stomach as his beautiful smile blossomed on his face again.

_No, no, no, Bella. _I admonished myself. _You're just starting to become friends. Don't mess that up with other feelings._

I got in the car and tried to ignore the fact that perfection personified was beside me in the driver's seat.

We drove to his house in easy conversation. He asked me about my life in Seattle, and I asked him about his life here in return. I tried asking where he was taking me, but he wouldn't give me an answer, turning instead toward a discussion on whether or not I would be coming back to Forks soon. I told him no, and I couldn't help but catch the slight disappointment on his face.

We arrived at his house after about twenty minutes of driving. It was a beautiful old house with a wrap around porch and antique charm that I couldn't imagine in any other home. Edward invited me inside while he ran upstairs to gather his things.

The inside of the house was just as beautiful as the outside, but less antique. The living room was decorated impeccably; it was the perfect combination of understated old world style with modern touches scattered throughout. I was passing along a shelf filled with family photos when a woman's voice from behind me interrupted my perusal.

"Hello, you must be Bella," she said gently.

I turned to see a woman with smooth features and affectionate smile standing in front of me.

"I'm Esme, Edward's mother," she said.

"Hi, I'm Bella Swan," I replied with a smile.

She returned a knowing smile.

"Would you like to come into the kitchen? I can get you a drink if you would like."

I agreed and followed her into the kitchen, where she motioned for me to sit at one of the stools that lined the counter while she poured me a glass of water.

I watched her as she went to the cabinet and took out a tall glass, setting it down on the counter noiselessly. My eyes were trained on her—mesmerized by her grace and ethereal beauty as she opened the refrigerator and retrieved a pitcher of water from the top shelf. After pouring my glass of water, she returned the pitcher to the refrigerator. I couldn't help but notice the refrigerator's pristine condition.

It wasn't just clean—it was empty. There was nothing in the refrigerator other than the pitcher of water that Esme had just replaced.

I tried to maintain an ignorant expression while Esme turned back around to face me and bring me my glass of water. I smiled and thanked her politely before she excused herself from the room and exited out the back door of the kitchen.

My head spun while I drank the cool water. Empty? Who had a completely empty refrigerator with seven people in the house? Where was all their food?

My thoughts were interrupted by voices from outside the kitchen. I couldn't understand what they were saying, so I quickly drank the rest of my water and followed the voices into the living room. Edward was standing in the middle of the room with a bag thrown over his shoulder, arguing with a tall blonde that I could only assume was his other sister.

"She shouldn't be here!" I heard the blonde spit.

My eyes widened and I froze in my tracks. The girl's eyes turned to me as I stood there, sharp displeasure written all over her face. She must have realized that I had heard her words. However, her expression didn't show remorse or chagrin; if anything, she looked glad that I heard her comment.

When Edward saw me frozen in the doorway, his already darkened demeanor deepened.

"Come on, Bella. Let's go," he said as he stalked toward the door.

He held the door open as he waited for me to pass through, staring daggers at his sister the entire time.

I slowly uprooted myself and moved toward the door where Edward was waiting. I could feel the girl's eyes boring holes into my back as I made my way to the door, silently urging me to get out of the house faster.

Edward followed me through the door and slammed it behind us, quietly making his way back to my car and throwing his bag into the backseat as he got into the driver's side.

I mutely followed him out to the car and once again climbed into the passenger's seat. He didn't say a word, which left me to my thoughts- first of the empty refrigerator and second of his sister's scorn.

We drove back down the road that led out of town in silence. Edward appeared tense, driving with one hand tight on the wheel and the other clenched in his lap. We jetted down the road at speeds I was afraid to know. Suddenly, he took a deep breath and slowed the car and pulled off to the side of the road.

He turned his whole body toward me and leaned forward.

"Bella, I'm really sorry about the way my sister acted," he began slowly, "and I'm sorry I reacted the way I did. It doesn't matter what she thinks about our... friendship."

I smiled slightly when he mentioned our friendship. He was easy to talk to and fun to be around, not to mention the best looking person I had ever seen, so I was proud to call myself his friend. I could really only find one fault in our friendship- I got butterflies every time he looked at me.

"It's okay," I replied casually. "That's why I'm friends with you- not with your sister."

Edward chuckled lightly and it seemed his good humor had returned. Shaking his head, he pulled the car back out onto the road and resumed driving.

"I guess you got a pretty good taste of Rosalie," he said with a playful smile. "She doesn't like anything or anybody. She expects the world to just fall at her feet."

I raised my eyebrows and laughed at his description of his sister. From the four inch heels to the perfectly styled hair, I could tell from one glance that Rosalie considered herself a superior being.

"So won't you tell me where we're going?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Nope," he said, popping the "p" with a finality that solidified his statement.

I rolled my eyes.

"Why are you taking _me_?" I asked. I was sure that there were plenty of other people with whom he would rather spend the afternoon. I was just the clumsy girl he met when she was knocked out on the forest floor.

His brow furrowed and he looked at me in confusion. "You want to know why I'm taking you," he stated slowly, as if he was processing my question. "Well, Bella, I think you're nice to talk to and fun to be with. And you smell good."

"I smell good?"

He just shrugged, a smile playing on his lips while he watched my reaction to his statement.

"Like I said earlier Edward, you're different."

The smile that had been threatening to emerge finally won over, and my heart melted as he directed it toward me.

"Just be careful, Bella," he admonished.

I rolled my eyes. Everyone was always telling me to be careful.

"Sooo... Will you tell me what's in the bag?" I asked, pointing with my thumb toward the duffel bag in the backseat.

"Can't you just be patient?" He asked with a small chuckle.

I crossed my arms over my chest and shot him a mock glare.

Ten minutes later, we pulled off to the side of the road and Edward put the car into park.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"I thought you gave up on asking questions," he said with an exaggerated roll of his eyes.

I stuck my tongue out at him in mock animosity.

He got out of the car and opened the back door to grab the duffel bag.

"Well," I replied as I got out of the car and tucked my jacket closely around my body, "I thought I would know once we got here, but obviously not."

He just shrugged and threw the duffel bag across his back.

"Come on," he called, walking into the forest without another glance back at me.

I hesitated to follow him for a moment, but quickly hurried after him once I realized he wasn't going to turn back. We wove back and forth through the trees, up through the hills. I had no idea how we were going to get back, but Edward seemed self-assured; I could only continue to follow him.

He didn't say much as we walked, only turning around to make sure I was still following him, giving me a quick smile, and turning ahead again.

He finally stopped.

"We're here," he announced, turning to me with a proud smile.

When I looked up, I suddenly realized that I could see the cloudy gray sky ahead of me instead of the vast expanse of trees that I had been seeing for the last half hour.

"Where are we?"

"This is my favorite place in Forks," Edward sighed, stepping forward onto the cliffs in front of us.

"It's beautiful," I breathed. My eyes tried to take in the overwhelming beauty of the landscape in front of me.

Just feet from the edge of the tree line, the soft soil turned to jagged rock, dropping down dramatically to a thick forest below. From the edge of the rocks, you could see for what seemed like hundreds of miles. The rolling hills beyond looked like something out of a green heaven, and the low lying clouds clustered in the valleys, turning the landscape into a beautiful portrait of grays and greens.

"Come here," Edward urged, motioning me to the edge of the rock where he was standing.

I looked at the sharp cliff warily.

"I don't think so," I said. "I'll fall."

Edward chuckled and backed away from the edge.

"Okay," he conceded, "first thing out of the bag."

He zipped open the duffel and brought out a large blanket, spreading it on the ground in front of me.

I put my bag down and sat down on the blanket when he motioned, and he sat down beside me.

"Why did you bring me up here?" I asked.

He shrugged and met my eyes with his honey colored ones.

"You don't like Forks," he said simply.

"And?"

"I just wanted to show you something I love about it."

I nodded slowly. I would admit it was beautiful up here. It was the most beautiful place I had ever seen.

I leaned back onto my palms and looked up at the sky that seemed like it stretched on forever above us. A gentle breeze blew down and ruffled my hair, and Edward stiffened beside me. He turned the other way and breathed deeply before shifting his weight where he sat.

"What's wrong?" I asked, slightly worried by the pained expression on his face.

"Nothing," he said, with a forced smile.

I gave him a worried look before turning my attention back to the landscape in front of me.

"Doesn't it look like its going to rain?" I asked worriedly, eyeing the continuously darkening clouds overhead.

The comfortable smile returned to Edward's face.

"It's the most beautiful when it rains," he said. "It might even make you think twice about calling the rain terrible again."

"Hmph," I grunted. "I highly doubt that."

"You never know," he said, flashing that perfect smile at me again.

He began asking me about my life back in Seattle, and I humored him by telling him about Jacob and all our crazy experiences trying to figure out how to live alone in the city.

"So this Jacob guy isn't your boyfriend?" He asked when I got through telling him about our search for an apartment in the city.

"No!" I huffed.

"Kidding," he said with an evil grin. "You just made it all too clear that he definitely wasn't- you must have said it ten times."

"Sorry," I blushed. I knew I had been intent on making sure Edward knew that I didn't have a boyfriend- obviously too much so.

Suddenly, a raindrop hit my cheek, cooling the burning sensation caused by the blush. It was quickly followed by several others, dotting the deep purple shirt I was wearing and sending a chill down my back.

Edward smiled at me and reached into his bag, pulling out a couple of bright yellow rain ponchos. He draped the first around my back and pulled the hood up over my head, smiling into my eyes as he adjusted it to cover my hair.

How could anyone be this perfect?

"Look," he said, sitting back onto the blanket under his own poncho and looking out over the cliff.

I watched as the rain seemed to divide into cascading sheets, glistening and sparkling as it fell from the sky onto the trees below, coating them with tiny prisms of light. For as far as I could see, the sky was full of shining crystal.

"Its... amazing," I said, searching for the right words to describe such a beautiful scene.

A proud smile shone on his face.

"I thought you would like it."

I nodded in amazed agreement as I continued to watch the magical scene in front of me.

"Is Forks really so bad?" He asked a few minutes later.

"Not from here," I murmured.

He met my eyes and smiled, and my heart hammered in my chest.

He stood once again and walked to the edge of the cliff where he had been standing before. I felt my whole body tense as I measured the small distance between his shoes and the edge of the rock.

He turned around and looked at me as I bit my lip in apprehension.

"Come here," he said, beckoning to me from where he stood a few feet away.

I rapidly shook my head.

"You must be certifiably crazy if you think I'm getting up there," I said decidedly.

He rolled his eyes and turned back around to face the landscape in front of us again.

As I watched him warily, the daredevil buried deep inside me urged me to go closer to the edge and see the beautiful landscape as if I were floating above it. I decided on a simple compromise. I remained seated, but gradually scooted closer to the cliff. When I got to the edge, I leaned forward to look down to the forest below and my stomach dropped, and I gasped.

Edward looked down at me and laughed.

"Bella, what are you doing?"

"I'm closer to the edge!" I said, forming a pout at his lack of appreciation for my compromise.

"But you can't get the full effect until you can't feel the ground underneath you like that," he said.

I rolled my eyes and remained seated on the rock with my legs crossed underneath me, just close enough that I could see over.

After a moment, I could feel Edward's eyes looking down at me.

"Fine!" I sighed deeply in surrender. "If I fall and die, though, it'll be your fault."

"I won't let you fall," Edward smiled.

I unfolded my legs from underneath me and carefully placed my hands on the cool, wet rock on either side of me to steady myself. As I stood to my feet, my legs shook slightly from fear and apprehension. I finally straightened my back and I was able to look out over the forest from a whole new viewpoint.

"You're right," I said slowly. "It's even better from here. I feel like I'm floating above it all."

I was afraid to move, but when I heard him laugh from beside me, my heart won out and I turned my head stiffly to see him smile.

"Relax, Bella," he said gently when he saw the fear still present in my eyes. "I won't let you fall."

I forced myself to take a deep breath and try to relax my tense muscles one at a time. The gentle rain was now falling lightly over the hills in front of us, and I tried to focus my attention on that instead of the large distance between myself and the ground at the bottom of the cliff.

A few minutes later, I realized I was breathing steadily and I was completely relaxed, all anxiety washed away by the gentle raindrops. Edward looked over at me and smiled.

"See? It's not so bad."

"I guess not," I replied confidently.

"I've got something else for you," he said, turning to go back to the duffel bag. "Come here."

Having lost all my cautiousness, I turned around to walk back to where Edward stood over his bag. As I turned, I felt something go wrong. My right foot missed the solid top of the rock, instead landing on one of the steeply sloped portions that were made even more dangerous from the rain. I tried to keep my footing solely on my left foot, but I felt my body falling backwards. My eyes clamped shut and I couldn't even scream as I began to fall.

Then, out of nowhere, a frigid grip caught my hand tightly. My whole body tingled as though I had lost feeling everywhere but my hand, which was now extended above my head, caught in whatever cold grasp I had found.

I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes, preferring the dark sanctuary I had found inside my own head to the picture of hard ground a hundred feet below me.

"Bella?" A panicked voice said from above me.

The fear in that beautiful voice finally brought me back to reality, and I opened my eyes and looked up. Edward was there, leaning over the side of the rock with my hand held tightly in his own. His eyes portrayed all of the fear I had been feeling, and it seemed as though his naturally pale skin had been drained of any color it had.

However, of all the things spinning through my head, my mind only focused on one thing. I only felt the icy grasp of his rock solid hand over mine. It seemed as though the fact that I was hanging over the side of a cliff suddenly became a trivial matter, and a series of thoughts began racing through my head.

I could hear Michael Charles' voice repeating in my head, "_Their skin feels like ice to the touch. It's one of their most distinguishing and easily recognizable characteristics."_

"_She shouldn't be here!" _I heard Rosalie shout from the back of my mind.

"_They call themselves vegetarians, I believe," _Mr. Charles had said.

The picture of the empty refrigerator in the Cullen's kitchen came crashing back to me with a whole new significance.

My thoughts were interrupted when Edward began pulling me back up onto the rock. My body felt numb, but Edward pulled me up like I weighed as much as an old ragdoll and sat me gently on the ground.

In the few short seconds that I had to process the events from this long day, I had realized without a trace of doubt what was so different about Edward.

"You..." I trailed off slowly, unable to vocalize my new discovery.

Edward gazed at me in concern while I searched for words. He held my shoulders tightly between his firm hands and stroked my damp hair that was falling down my back.

"What's wrong, Bella?" He asked, his handsome features furrowed deep with distress.

"You... Your family..." I tried to begin again. "You're... You're not human."

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, his expression of concern disappeared and his eyes widened. He let go of my shoulders and leaned back away from me.

"What are you saying, Bella?" He asked, his voice now rough.

I summoned all the courage remaining inside me before meeting his honey colored eyes.

"Vampires," I choked out. "You're vampires."

His hands balled into tight fists with my words and his chiseled features were now set into an angry stare. Our eyes stayed locked together for what seemed like an immeasurable amount of time, the electricity almost tangible as it ran between us.

He finally broke my gaze as he pounded his fist into the rock at our feet, cracking the hard surface and leaving a small pit where he struck.

"Come on," he said, standing to his feet without another look at me.

I stood hastily and chased after him.

"Where are we going?" I demanded.

"I'm taking you back to your car," he growled.

I didn't dare say another word, but the tears streamed silently down my face, blurring my vision and combining with the steady rain that was still falling overhead.

**EPOV**

As I sat on the edge of the cliff, looking out at the treetops below, my mind was consumed with one thing. It was the same thing that had been echoing through my mind for the past three days. Bella. All of a sudden, she had become the reason to keep leading this monotonous life that I had come to dread day by day, decade by decade.

And now she knew my secret.

I hated the way I had reacted when she revealed what she knew, but I hated myself even more for thinking I could have a relationship with someone so unlike myself. As I sat on the edge of the cliff, I regained control of myself. I couldn't stop thinking about her. Every little thing about her captivated me, like no one ever had before. It wasn't just her smell or her beauty that drew me to her, but it was all the little human things. I was fascinated by her heartbeat. There was a thin line between being close enough to her to hear her heart beating steadily in her chest, and being too close to her so that her scent was too overwhelming. I loved to make her blush- to see the rosy color of her cheeks when the tempting blood pooled to the surface of her skin. She awoke a protective nature in me that I never knew existed.

I had been out hunting the first time I smelled her delicious scent, and it took all the self-control I had cultivated for over a century to keep from killing her then and there. Her seemingly lifeless form lay on the forest floor, and I remembered fighting an internal battle with three options. The first was to turn and run, protecting this girl from my dangerous being. The second option I considered was the choice to give in to my darkest desires and take her life, quenching the demanding thirst in my throat. The final option was to help her. I could tell she was hurt, and I knew I could use the training I had received as a doctor to help her. As I stood in the forest, refusing to breathe, I made my choice. I would protect this girl- the other two options didn't even seem like distant possibilities- and that protective nature hadn't subsided once I helped her out of danger for the first time. I constantly worried about her. When Alice saw her in the forest again on Friday, I knew I had to be in the forest as well.

She had me constantly on edge because of her investigation. I knew how close she was getting to the truth, but I tried to rationalize the small chance that she would actually discover my family's secret. Every time I came home with a smile on my face, everyone in my family immediately knew I had seen Bella again. Their opinions on the matter varied. Some, like my mother, were just happy that I had found someone special, but others, namely Rosalie, were worried for our family's safety- and obviously for good reason.

Her mind was unreadable and her thoughts indiscernible. She drove me crazy with the guarded shroud that kept me from hearing her thoughts like I could hear the rest. It was easy to find peace with her, uninterrupted by her thoughts in my head. Sitting there on the cliff with her had been the most perfect, serene moment I had ever spent with anyone.

I continued to find things I loved about Bella, finally coming up to the one thing that had been my downfall—the feel of her skin. I had carefully avoided touching her every time I had been around her, even though the temptation was always strong. As she fell, however, I knew there was no other choice if she were to live. Her skin was so soft, so warm, and so extremely fragile.

Her reaction to my touch terrified me. I was not only afraid for the safety of my family, but also afraid of her reaction to my secret. She thought I was a monster. I should have known that Bella and I could never have been together, but the cold truth seemed so much more real.

"_I'm leaving, Edward," _she had said as she got back into her car. "_I'm leaving tomorrow morning and I won't ever be back to Forks."_

Her words struck me like a knife through the chest when she said them to me, as if her absence would cause me physical pain.

_Stop being ridiculous, Edward,_ I told myself sharply. _She's just a girl. A _human _girl._

I continued to sit on the cliff as night fell, my sharp vision picking out the stars that emerged overhead before it was even completely dark. I felt utterly helpless. It was the first time I could ever remember feeling this way. Bella was leaving, and the one person in the whole world that mattered was going to be gone out of my life forever.

Helplessness was replaced by anger as the night drew on. Anger that told me things might have been different if I wasn't a monster. Anger that reprimanded me for losing my temper with her. If I hadn't acted like a monster, she might have given me a chance. Instead, she was leaving.

I didn't move as night trailed on, my thoughts never leaving Bella. As day broke over the horizon in the distance, I knew what I had to do.

* * *

**I hope you all enjoyed a snippet from our dear Edward's point of view! **

**When I was writing the scene from the cliff, I got the idea from a place I've actually been to. I grew up in east Tennessee with the beautiful mountains out there, and I decided to bring a little of that into the story. When my beta Leah read it though, she actually found pictures of the place it brought to mind! (She's from Kentucky which has a lot of the same beautiful mountains of Tennessee) This is what she came up with: . So go on over there and click on the individual pictures on that site to get a good idea of the place I imagined for that scene. :)**

**With Love,**

**Maggie**


	8. Two Sparrows in a Hurricane

**Hello dearies! I'm so so so sorry this took so long to get out!! Thanksgiving put writing on hold for a little while, but then I just had a terrible time writing this chapter, so when I sent it off to (the wonderful, fabulous, amazing) my beta Leah, she basically had to rewrite half the chapter for me!! But now after she worked her magic on it, I'm thrilled to present... Chapter eight!! Enjoy! :)**

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**Chapter 8: ****Two Sparrows in a Hurricane**

"_Like two sparrows in a hurricane  
Trying to find their way  
With a head full of dreams  
And faith that can move anything  
They've heard it's all uphill  
But all they know is how they feel  
The world says they'll never make it, love says they will"_

I sat still in my car, taking deep, calming breaths as I tried to stop the impending tears. My hands on the wheel were white around my knuckles and my body was stiff with the effort.

In my mind, I tried to rationalize. Why were my emotions all over the map? My whole life, I had worked to keep my emotions under control. I moved away from Forks so that I could avoid the painful relationship with my father; my friendship with Jacob had developed initially because he was safe, comfortable. I had even avoided dating anyone that I thought I could develop any sort of attachment to, because that could lead to eventual heartache.

I gasped when the realization hit me: _I had feelings for Edward. _

I had been blind to it all week, but now I recognized the long dormant signs. When I first saw him, he took my breath away. I had been yearning to see him ever since I met him in the forest. Seeing him in the music store had made my day. I had been thinking about him constantly—I had a freaking dream about him! He intrigued me, made me laugh, and even got me to see the beauty of Forks. Edward had been making his way into my heart and I hadn't even known it.

I leaned over and banged my head down on to the steering wheel between my hands.

_I was falling for a vampire. _

I sank down in my seat as that thought invaded my mind._ Edward was a vampire. _ He had left little doubt in my mind with his reaction. I could see the crack in the rock and the dent he had made with his fist, I had felt his icy skin, I had seen the empty refrigerator, and my _God,_ he was beautiful. Yeah, he definitely wasn't human, and he was completely out of my league. Hell, we weren't even in the same universe.

Knowing that, however, didn't curb the sting of rejection I had felt at Edward's outburst. _This_ was what I had always tried to avoid. Pain. Rejection. Hurt.

I ran my hand through my hair that was still damp from the rain and took a deep breath as the tears stung at my eyes again. Before they had a chance to fall, I put the car into drive and pulled back out onto the road.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Back at the hotel, I ordered Chinese for delivery, put on my favorite flannel pajama bottoms, and settled down onto the bed with my computer in front of me, ready to write the story I was sent here to find. Edward's face was in my mind's eye, but I knew if I wanted to keep my job, I had to have a story to hand to my editor by three o'clock tomorrow.

An hour later, I was still staring at the blinking cursor in my word document, thinking about Edward instead of writing my article. Since I had realized my feelings for him, I was incapable of thinking about anything else. He was all consuming. I thought of his crooked smile, his laugh, his hair, even his smell captivated me. I thought of the way he took care of me in the forest, how he brought me my car, how he visited me in the hospital, and how he caught me when I fell off the cliff. Edward had irritated me, made me laugh, and held my attention even with the most mundane conversation. My heart ached when I remembered that I wouldn't see him again.

For what seemed like the thousandth time that night, the tears stung at my eyes and I bit my bottom lip in an effort to keep them at bay. I pushed my computer off of my lap onto the bed beside me as I rolled over and curled into a ball, wrapping my arms around one of the thin pillows and burying my face in it while the tears leaked out of my eyes. Eventually, my tears subsided and I drifted off to sleep.

When I dreamed, it was about Edward. Once again, his eyes were black onyx, and once again, he was telling me that he was dangerous. He was repeating "_Be careful, Bella"_ and "_I'm dangerous, Bella_." I screamed for him to stop when he started walking away, but he quickened his pace. This time, I was determined to not let him get away. I ran after him, eventually reaching the cliff where he had taken me before. He was standing there at the edge again, and he turned to look at me when I walked up behind him. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I waited for him to speak to me again. He stepped closer to me, predator to his prey, but I couldn't bring myself to feel fear. Finally, he was within an inch of my face, and I yearned to reach out and touch him. As soon as I lifted my hand, my dreams floated away, and I was back in the run down hotel room.

I awoke to a tormenting headache, my eyes swollen and sore. I tried to blink away the cloudiness of my eyes as I looked around the room, observing the infomercial silently playing on the television in the corner and the lights on all over the room. Then I remembered. Vampires. Edward. My eyes stung as tears once again pricked my eyes.

_Stop it, Bella, _I told myself harshly, wiping the corners of my eyes furiously. _This is ridiculous. You can leave town and forget he ever existed. Forget _vampires _ever existed. _

I paused for a moment while I considered what I had just told myself. _Could I really just forget him?_ _No, _I decided. There was no way I could forget anything about Edward. In just a few short days, he had somehow touched a part of me that no one else ever had. Whether it was right or wrong, no matter how hard I fought against it, I knew that part of me would always be his.

I also knew that Edward would never, _could never, _be mine. He had made that much clear by the cliffs—he was a vampire and I was a mere human.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I needed a distraction.

I looked around for something to occupy my mind before spotting my computer still sitting at the edge of the bed. It was a little after two in the morning, but I was oddly alert after only a few hours of uncomfortable sleep. I pulled the computer towards me and hit the button to bring it back from the hibernated state. There it was again- the daunting blank page. In thirteen hours time, this page and roughly one more had to be full of the secrets that I had found the last couple days in Forks. Ideas spun through my head about how I could weave together the perfect story with the information I had learned from Mr. Charles, and I had the first paragraph written in my head when I realized that I couldn't write that. I had gotten the story I came for, but couldn't tell it to anyone.

I tried to take the story another route, making up my own conspiracy as I went along, but I eventually groaned in frustration and held down the backspace key until I was left with an empty page again.

I rubbed my temples in frustration as I leaned back onto the headboard of the bed again, thinking of _him_. I couldn't focus on anything else. I closed my computer and decided to try to get some more sleep. I hoped that the morning light would help clear my mind, help me move on, help me repress the feelings that Edward had uncovered. I hoped that maybe, just maybe, the old adage was true—maybe things would look different in the morning.

My alarm awoke me at 8:00 sharp. I rolled over and started swinging my arm in the direction of the obnoxious beeping until I felt my hand hit the clock and heard the satisfying thump it made when it landed on the floor. Unfortunately, just because I knocked it on the floor didn't mean it would stop beeping. It was now out of reach, having rolled under the old armchair in the corner, and still beeping.

_Stupid clock, _I thought as I rolled out of the bed and angrily reached for the alarm clock under the chair. While I rummaged through the dust bunnies under the chair, I realized what day it was.

_I get to go home, _I thought with a contented sigh. _Finally._

As I showered, my happiness started to fade. I had thought that I would be more excited to go home. However, that was before I had felt butterflies in my stomach, before I lost control and let myself develop feelings for someone, before I had unintentionally given part of myself away. Yes, while going back to Seattle would have once thrilled me, that was before Edward.

I wanted more than anything to see him again. I wanted to talk to him one more time. I wanted to see his beautiful smile again. Once again, my heart ached when I realized that I would never see him again.

Things definitely did not look different in the morning.

In order to combat the plaguing thoughts of Edward in my head, I thought about my article. Mr. Davenport would need the article at three o'clock today—and I still had no idea what I was going to write. Frustrated, I found my iPod and turned on some of my favorite music. I sang along to the familiar rock songs but skipped over anything that had to do with relationships or love, and eventually I was able to keep Edward at the corner of my mind while I got ready.

I styled my hair into gentle waves that curled to almost halfway down my back, pinning my bangs back out of my face. I applied my makeup and put on a light yellow sweater with my favorite pair of dark jeans. Bringing my suitcase out from under the bed, I raked all the clothes that had accumulated on the bed and the floor throughout the week into it, not bothering to fold or organize anything. Grabbing both my purse and the bag that contained my notes for the article and the copy of the book that Mr. Charles had given me, I glanced around the room one last time before walking out the door.

When I arrived in the lobby, I went straight for the front desk, ready to get out of Forks as quickly as possible. I told the lady at the front desk my name and she paused for a moment while she clicked and typed into her computer.

"Oh-Miss Swan!" She said, looking up at me suddenly. "There's someone here to talk to you," she said. "I'm not supposed to let you check out until you talk to him."

She pointed around the corner and instructed me to a small sitting room. _Shit, _I thought, _I must be getting charged for something extra._ I started going back through the last couple of days in my mind, trying to remember if I had broken anything in the room. I bit my lip, remembering the alarm clock that I had possibly broken this morning when I walked around the corner into the room.

Edward shot up out of the chair in front of me.

"Bella," he breathed in his soft, velvety voice.

Every muscle in my body froze at the sound of his voice. To say I was shocked to see him here was an understatement. I had been longing to see him—to hear his voice, see his smile, breathe him in. Only an hour ago I had been heartbroken, thinking I would never see him again. Yet here he was, standing in front of me and looking at me as if his heart had been broken as well.

"Why are you here?" I asked, unable to keep my voice from trembling.

He came close to me and stared down into my eyes intently.

"Don't leave," was all he said.

I felt a small pang in my heart when I heard those words come out of his mouth. I opened my mouth to respond, but I didn't know what to say, so I shut it again as he spoke.

"Bella, I want you to know I would never hurt you," he said, scanning my face for a response.

"I- I know," I said slowly, remembering my dream. While I knew I should be, I couldn't be afraid of Edward. Somehow, I had always known that he would never hurt me, no matter what he was.

"Then don't leave," he said again.

My head spun and my heart soared. Yesterday, he had yelled at me to go back to my car as soon as we were within sight of it. Now, he was begging me not to go.

Confused by his actions and afraid of all that his words could mean, I asked the only thing I could. "Why?"

He opened and shut his mouth twice before looking into my eyes and speaking.

"Because I care about you," he said, his eyes smoldering into mine with an intensity that made my knees shake. "Probably more than I should."

Once again, my heart soared. _Edward cared about me._ This beautiful creature that my heart longed for, wanted me too. His words made my knees weak, my breath catch, and my heart race. Unfortunately, I knew that they were not enough.

"But I'm... I'm _human_," I said, stressing the one word that made our situation impossible.

"I don't care," he said, reaching up and placing his hand on the back of my neck and stroking my hair. I could feel the coolness of his hand through my hair on the back of my neck, and it sent goosebumps down my back. "I'll do anything to be with you."

"But... But Edward…yesterday… you were so upset," I stated, unable to shake the memories of his furious face and trembling fists after I had told him what I realized.

He hung his head and stared at the floor between as he spoke. "No one has ever discovered our secret before, and I was afraid you would tell someone. Part of what we are is keeping our existence a secret—breaking that law could be disastrous for my family."

"I would never tell anyone," I said emphatically. "I couldn't hurt you or your family like that."

He looked up again and gave me a small smile that told me he trusted me.

" More than that, Bella, I was afraid that I had driven away the one thing that made me happy," he said slowly, running his hand down over the back of my hair. "I was so afraid that you would be afraid of me, that you would be disgusted by my very existence. I couldn't stand the thought of you hating me, so I pushed you away. It was callous…I am so very, very sorry. Please…forgive me," he said, his voice breaking to a whisper.

My heart was flying, but rationality shackled me to the floor.

"You.. We... We can't possibly..." I stuttered.

"Bella just give me one chance," he said emphatically, pulling my body closer to his until our foreheads rested against each other. His golden eyes were now within inches of mine, and I could see every luminous, honey colored fleck. "I can't go on without you. I can't bear not to see you again- to smell you, to hear your heart beat, to feel your soft skin. You are my addiction, the sweetest of drugs. While I've only sampled, my whole being knows that I have to have more. I have to have _you_, Bella."

With every word he spoke, I felt the chains of rationality that had been holding me to the floor begin to crack, link by link. He cared for me, he wanted to be with me, he wanted to _try_. For us. I felt the chains rattle as my rationality crumbled.

I lowered my eyes down to where his hand was resting on my arm. I took it in my own and turned it over, running my hands down the frigid stone, marveling at its sculpted marble texture. I used my fingertips to trace the lines in his hands, all the way out to the tips of his fingers, then I intertwined my fingers with his and turned my eyes back to his perfect face.

"Okay," I breathed with a small smile.

The smile that grew over his face was the largest and most handsome smile I had ever seen. His lopsided grin freed my heart and gave peace to my mind. The chains were gone and I was soaring, literally and figuratively, as Edward wrapped his arms around me and spun me around in a circle.

"We can do this," he said emphatically, placing his forehead back on mine, his eyes dancing with happiness.

I could feel his excitement mirrored in my own eyes as I nodded earnestly. _We can do this._ He reached his hand up to my face and ran his cool fingers down my cheek and cupped my face in his palm.

"You're so beautiful, Bella," he whispered softly.

I felt my cheeks flush under his cool touch and my eyes broke our gaze.

"And I love it when you blush," he added with a chuckle, using his hand on my face to guide my eyes back to his.

I smiled back at him just as my phone started buzzing in my pocket.

"Sorry," I said, rolling my eyes and disentangling myself from Edward's arms reluctantly. I reached down and pulled my phone out of the front pocket of my jeans, looking at it to see a new message. I opened it and read a message from Jacob.

_You on the road yet? Drive safe. -J_

I sighed, the message reminding me how pressed for time I was going to be today.

_Not yet. I had to talk to someone before I left. -B_

I hit send and shoved the phone back down into my pocket.

"I've gotta go," I said sadly, turning my attention back to Edward.

"Already?" He asked. "Can't you stay a little longer?"

At that moment, I wanted nothing more. Unfortunately, my job was in Seattle. I frowned and shook my head. "I have to have this damn article to my boss by three and I don't have any of it written, and the drive itself takes almost four hours."

He seemed to have forgotten the article, because when I mentioned it, his eyes went wide and he hastily asked, "What are you going to write?"

"I don't even know," I said, rubbing my temples with the tips of my fingers. "Not the truth," I added, seeing the worried look on his face.

He immediately relaxed and smiled. "I can help."

I raised my eyebrows at him curiously. "How?"

"I know what you can write about," he said simply. "You know, other reporters don't actually get the story. It's the same now as it was forty years ago. They all come up with a story about animals. I can tell you basically what they all say and you can just get creative with the details."

I smiled broadly and he laughed while he began filling me in on the story that most other reporters had been using when they couldn't find the answers they had been looking for.

"Thank you so much," I said with a sigh as I tucked my notebook back into my bag. "You just saved my ass."

"No problem," he smiled. "Anything for you. Besides, I'm rather fond of your ass."

My mouth popped open in shock. "Edward Cullen!" I screeched, giving him a light shove. "I can't believe you!"

I looked up into his sparkling eyes again to see him beaming down at me.

"I've gotta go," I said, brushing past him in a fake display of animosity.

His eyes danced as he caught up with me easily, matching his stride to mine as he threw his arm over my shoulders. "I'll walk you out."

I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to keep the smile from playing on my lips as we walked toward the front desk together.

I paid my bill with the company's credit card, and Edward walked me out to my car in the small parking lot next to the hotel. He insisted on taking my suitcase and my bag, leaving me with just my purse, and after putting them gently in the backseat of the car, he opened the driver's door for me. I moved to get into the car, but before I could get inside the door, he moved to block my entrance, pushing me closely against the side of the car.

His face was inches from mine as he took a deep breath and tangled my hair in his hand. He placed his head on my shoulder, running his nose along my collarbone and over my throat, breathing deeply.

"What are you doing?" I asked, slightly shocked by his display.

"You smell delicious," he said after a moment, lifting his head and opening his eyes.

I tried to suppress a small laugh. "You seem so normal," I said teasingly, "until you do something like that."

His good natured laugh filled the air around us. "Okay, Bella, I'll see you soon," he said.

"Oh, wait! Give me your phone," I said.

He reached in his pocket and handed me his phone. "What are you doing?"

Quickly, I called my phone. After hearing it ring, I snapped his phone shut and handed it back to him. "Now you have my phone number so that you can call me."

"I can't believe I didn't even ask for your phone number," he said, embarrassed. "I've never really been in a relationship, so please understand that I'm just learning these things."

"That's okay, Edward. We can learn together."

"I'll call you later," he promised, kissing my forehead and stepping back so that I could get in the car.

Though his lips were cool on my skin, the small spot where he kissed my head burned with distinction. I smiled back up at him as I moved to get in the car.

"Bye, Edward," I said sadly.

"Bye, Bella," he said before shutting the car door behind me as I got comfortable for my long trip in the seat of the car.

I gave him a weak smile as I backed out of the parking space, driving away from Forks.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Jacob! I'm home!" I called as I came through the apartment door, dragging my suitcase clumsily behind me.

I could see down the hall to the living room, where Jacob jumped over the back of the couch and ran over to give me a hug.

"I'm so glad you're back!" He exclaimed while he hugged me. "I've been so bored without you here all week!"

I laughed. "You're _always_ bored- even with me here," I teased as he took my suitcase out of my hands and began pulling it down the hall to my room.

He shrugged and turned to give me an innocent expression. "Hey, I can't help it. By the way, there are cookies in the kitchen."

I stopped in mid-step and gave him an incredulous look. "You made cookies? You must have been _really _bored."

He laughed. "I picked them up at the grocery store today before you came home," he admitted. "I thought you might need something to cheer you up after a long week in Forks, but you look pretty cheery."

I laughed, thinking of Edward. Forks definitely had a certain appeal with him there.

"Thanks," I said, "but the rest of the week wasn't as bad as the first night." I wasn't ready to tell Jacob about Edward. We were so new, I wanted to adjust to the situation myself before sharing it with someone else.

"I can't even imagine," he said, shaking his head in pity as he threw my suitcase up onto my bed.

"What are you doing?" I asked, looking at the suitcase on my bed in disgust.

He looked at me curiously. "I thought you might want to unpack...?"

I snorted in ridicule. "I just want to relax," I said, pushing the suitcase off the side of the bed, landing it on the floor with a thump before throwing my body onto the bed. I sighed contentedly as I closed my eyes and smiled. "How 'bout bringing me one of those cookies?" I asked without ever opening my eyes.

I heard Jacob laugh and agree before leaving my room. A moment later I felt something hard hit my stomach with a thud. I scowled and opened my eyes to see the box of chocolate chip cookies sitting on my stomach and Jacob standing at the foot of my bed looking like the cat that swallowed the canary.

"Owch, Jacob!"

He just shrugged while he munched on one of the cookies. I opened the box and threw one of the broken pieces of cookie at him, hitting him squarely on the forehead.

He looked shocked and broke off a part of the cookie he was eating and threw it back at me, landing it in my hair that was spread across the bedspread as I lay there. Before I knew it, we were in an all out cookie battle and he was sitting beside me stuffing cookies into my mouth screaming, "Take that! And another!" Laughing, I continued to blindly throw cookie pieces into his face. He finished the assault by throwing the empty cookie container at my face and throwing himself onto the bed beside me in a fit of laughter. I tried to laugh along with him, but I ended up inhaling cookie crumbs and choking instead.

"I hate you, Jacob Black!" I said through fits of coughing.

"What can I say?" He shrugged. "I've missed you this week."

"Whatever," I said, shooting him a dirty look while I wiped cookie crumbs from my eyelashes.

"Seriously!" He said, rolling himself off the bed to grab a towel out of the bathroom attached to my room. "I don't know what I would do without you. This past week has been awful."

I shot him a quick look as sat up and wiped my face with the towel he tossed to me to make sure he was being serious now.

"I've missed you too, Jake," I said, flopping back down on my bed beside him.

He turned to me with an excited look on his face. "So what did you come up with for the story?" He asked excitedly, propping himself on his elbow beside me.

"Um, well," I began, unsure of what to tell him- the truth or the story Edward had given me to tell everyone.

"Come on, Bella," he said, nudging my arm when he saw my hesitation. "I'll just read it tomorrow in the paper if you won't tell me."

"I actually don't have it written yet," I said hastily, happy for the easy out. Jacob was my best friend, but I wouldn't betray Edward's trust.

Jacob rolled his eyes at me and stood to leave my room.

"Deadline is in two hours," I heard him yell from the other room. "Davenport's gonna kill you if it's not done!"

I groaned loudly so that he could hear me in the other room and grabbed my computer out of my bag. I was hoping this wouldn't be too hard- Edward had given me all the information, all I had to do was put it together to make it sound like I had discovered it.

I smiled at the simple thought of Edward. I remembered how I couldn't wipe the smile off my face after I had gotten off the phone with him on my drive back to Seattle. I remembered feel of his marble fingers entwined with my own in the hotel lobby and the coolness of his lips as he kissed my forehead before I got in my car.

Realizing that my thoughts were wandering, I refocused my attention to the blank page that had been taunting me since yesterday afternoon. I placed my fingers to the keys and constructed the first two sentences in my head before tapping them out with the keys. The story came together nicely enough, but in the end I was still unsatisfied, knowing the true story hidden behind the lies I had constructed with Edward's help. I read over the story again, trying to decide if there was any more room for the truth without revealing sworn secrets. I hated not telling the truth; I had always looked at my writing as a chance to educate the readers-- to provide them with as much information as I knew, to equip them with the truth, and to do all that in a way that made them want to read my articles again and again. Writing lies into my article killed me, but I knew it was the only way to protect Edward and his family, along with the secrets that Mr. Charles had told me.

I finally forced myself to read it once more from an objective point of view- forgetting what was and was not true and simply searching my writing for errors. When I was satisfied with the piece, I breathed deeply before attaching it to an email and sending it off, only twenty minutes before the deadline. I dialed Mr. Davenport's number on my phone and nervously waited for him to answer so that I could inform him that my article should have gotten to him.

When he answered, he questioned me about the article and I smoothly answered his questions according to the lies that Edward had given me. Seemingly satisfied, he told me that my article would run tomorrow, and said goodbye. I breathed a sigh of relief as I dropped my phone onto the bed beside me, realizing for the first time how exhausted I was.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

I hadn't even realized I had fallen asleep until I heard the familiar beeping of my phone from beside me. I groaned and rolled over, frustrated until I saw Edward's name under the envelope that signified a new text message.

_Hello, beautiful. Did you finish your article in time?_

I smiled and rolled over to type a response, telling him I had finished my article with only minutes to spare. I had a response back within a minute.

_I miss you. I wish you were still here._

I smiled and I could feel myself blush even though I was alone. A knock on my door interrupted me halfway through my reply and Jacob poked his head into my room again.

"Oh! You're up! I was just about to order pizza- sound good?" He asked. While he waited for my answer, I noticed him looking at me strangely, and I blushed an even deeper shade of red self-consciously. "Why are you red and smiling like that?"

I just turned my face downwards so that he couldn't see it anymore. "Pizza sounds fine," I mumbled.

"Who are you talking to?" He asked, unwilling to drop the subject. He came over to where I was laying on the bed and tried to peek at my phone, but I buried it in the sheets of the bed before he could see Edward's name at the top of the screen.

"Nobody," I replied hastily, wiping the smile off of my face.

I felt self-conscious about my new feelings for Edward. Of course I had casually dated before, but I had never disclosed any information about my love life to Jacob—he had always been a protective older brother figure to me. I had a feeling that he would disapprove of any guy I chose, saying he wasn't good for me. I didn't feel like hearing that about Edward. I had real feelings for Edward; he was not just some guy I was dating casually. Having my best friend disapprove of someone I truly cared about would hurt too much. Also, my logical self knew that there was a part of Edward that was not good for me.

I had managed to keep the thoughts of Edward's not-so-human side out of my head for the most part, but as I thought about him in relation to Jacob, I became wary of that side. I wasn't afraid of Edward; I trusted that he would never hurt me. I simply felt that I didn't know enough about his vampiric nature. I knew very little about vampires; all I knew was that Edward and his family were 'civilized'. In reality, I had no idea what that actually meant. I felt my heartbeat growing faster in my chest as I realized how little I knew about the man I was falling for.

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**Welllll... What do you think? I'd love to hear your opinion if you have a minute! :) Thank you all for sticking with me while I took forever on this! LOVE you all!!**


	9. Complete

**Hey guys, we're back again with another chapter! This is a bit of a filler chapter, since all we really wanna do is see Edward and Bella again together, but unfortunately, life must happen in Seattle as well. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 9: Complete**

"_Any minute I'm not with you,  
I hope I'll see you soon.  
There's just something that happens  
when you walk into the room,  
and instantly i feel so complete  
it hits me right about the time you kiss my cheek,  
and you give me this feeling,  
it's like no other feeling  
but it knocks me off my feet."_

_FM Static_

As soon as Jacob left my room, I rolled off the bed and started rummaging through my bag, looking for Mr. Charles' phone number. If anyone could answer my questions and ease my mind, it would be him.

"Hello, Mr. Charles, this is Bella Swan," I said when he answered.

"How are you, Miss Swan?" He replied courteously.

"I'm fine, thank you. I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me…about the Cullens."

He paused on the other end of the line, making me question my decision to call him. "How did you find out?" He asked slowly.

"I've been spending some time with Edward Cullen," I replied. "It was an accident, but I found out."

I listened as he breathed deeply and muttered something about Dr. Cullen.

"You said that he and his family are civilized," I said without waiting for a response from him. "What exactly does that mean?"

"Miss Swan, it's not a good idea to become close to the Cullens. While they are a nice family and are very civilized for their kind, they _are_ vampires."

Frustration tainted my words as I responded, "Mr. Charles, I just want to know more about them."

I could hear his hesitation to say anything more, but I kept pressing. I had to know more about Edward.

"They are a different type of coven, Miss Swan," he began reluctantly. "Most vampires, as I'm sure you know, survive by drinking the blood of humans."

The thought of Edward drinking from people made me cringe, but I managed to remain quiet while he continued. "The Cullens, however, choose to live a more humane lifestyle, drinking only from animals." With that, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mmhmm," I mumbled, coaxing him to continue.

"They live a transient lifestyle- they move every few years to keep people from getting suspicious."

"Why would people get suspicious?" I asked curiously.

"Because of their age, Miss Swan," Mr. Charles said with a hint of exasperation in his voice. "They don't age! Have you read anything from the book I gave you?"

A paralyzing realization hit me. "They... They don't get older?" I asked carefully.

"No, they don't," he replied with a level of nonchalance that I wished I could feel.

My mind raced around this new piece of information. I was utterly stunned into silence—Edward would never get older.

"Why are you so interested in this, Miss Swan?" He asked after a moment of silence.

"Oh- Um... No reason," I stuttered.

"Hmm," he said thoughtfully. "Like I said before, it's not a good idea to get involved with them. Accidents can always happen."

I felt a lump form in my throat. "Accidents?"

"They're _vampires_, Miss Swan," he said, clearly frustrated. There is no guarantee that they will always be able to control themselves."

The lump had now taken a tight hold in the back of my throat, and I could hardly speak around it. "Thank you, Mr. Charles."

"You're welcome, Miss Swan," he replied. "Remember what I said. I don't want anyone getting hurt."

"Right. Goodbye," I said, flipping my phone shut with a finality that made my ears ring.

"Hey Bells, pizza's here," Jacob said, poking his head into my room.

"Thanks, Jake," I mumbled, not making a move to go to the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" Jacob asked, crinkling his brow as he looked at me.

"I... Well..." I felt my face contort into a confused expression as I finished lamely, "Nothing. Everything's fine."

He gave me a look I couldn't decipher and walked back out of my room. I stood and moved to follow him into the kitchen where the pizza was sitting on the counter. While we ate, I was able to fall into conversation with Jacob, neatly avoiding any talk about the vampire consuming my thoughts.

"I rented a good movie yesterday," Jacob said with a smile as he stood from the table to put his plate in the sink.

"Great!" I replied, following his lead and putting my own plate away. I needed something to take my mind off of Edward and the full reality of his inhuman being. "What'd you get?"

"A zombie movie!" Jacob said with a gleam in his eye, holding up a black and red movie case with two menacing eyes in the middle of it.

I wrinkled my nose.

"Oh, come on, Bells, suck it up. It'll be good," he said, walking over to the TV and putting the movie into the DVD player.

I moved cautiously to the couch where I sat in the corner and hugged a pillow to my body. I had never been a fan of scary horror movies, but for as long as I could remember, Jacob had made me watch them with him. I usually didn't mind the movie itself as much as I hated the nightmares that followed. This movie was no different than any of the others that he had brought home over the years-- I had my face buried in the pillow I was holding for half the movie. When the last human was finally killed, the credits started rolling on the screen and Jacob stood with a pleased look on his face. One glance at me, and that pleased look turned to one of amusement.

"It's over now, Bella, you can look," he teased.

I stuck my tongue out at him as he bent to take the movie out of the DVD player and put it back in the rental box.

"You're lucky there's no monsters like that in real life," he said, maintaining his teasing smile. "You wouldn't last a day."

I gave him my best glare, but my mind was reeling. I couldn't help but think of Edward in relation to monsters in the movie. He wasn't like that. He didn't kill people. Edward wasn't a monster. He wouldn't hurt me. He would never hurt me.

Shaking my head, I threw the pillow I had been holding back onto the couch beside me and stood. "I think I'm going to bed," I said to Jacob.

"Alright, see you in the morning," he said, giving me a small wave as I turned to go back to my room.

I got ready for bed quickly, brushing my teeth and pulling my hair back into a long ponytail in record time. When I got in bed, I tucked the blankets closely around me, creating a safe cocoon that gave me the sense of security I needed after I watched scary movies.

My dreams were black that night. Edward followed me throughout every dream, constantly changing roles with each new dream. At times, he was my hope- he was good and he cared for me; other times, he was my tormentor- he was the dangerous vampire and he wanted nothing but to harm me. I awoke screaming from one such dream, causing Jacob to stumble through the apartment until he stood in my doorway, looking panicked and worried. I explained my nightmares as a result of the movie we watched, and he went back to his room, accepting my lie.

I stayed awake, taking deep, calming breaths while I tried to still my racing heart and think of the sweet man who had stopped me before I left Forks, rather than the dangerous vampire he had become in my nightmares. Realizing that this would be a lot easier if I could talk to him, I picked up my phone from the night table and sent Edward a quick message asking if he was still awake. After pressing send on the message, I forced myself to lie back down and close my eyes, not expecting a message back from him. After all, it was almost two in the morning.

Just as I was about to drift off to sleep again, my phone started ringing.

"Hello?" I asked in a groggy voice.

"Hi Bella, is everything okay?" Edward's velvet voice said from the other end of the line.

I tried to keep the yawn out my voice as I replied. "I'm alright. I just had a little bit of a nightmare." Once the words were out of my mouth, I realized that I seemed like a child, afraid of a small nightmare, and I quickly tried to cover up my previous statement. "Why are you still awake?"

He chuckled slightly. "There's a lot you don't know about me yet."

I felt my forehead wrinkle in confusion as I propped myself up on my elbow, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"Nothing," he said with a small laugh still lingering in his voice. "I wanted ask you something though, if you don't mind."

"Hmm?" I asked lazily, unable to resist lying back down and closing my eyes while I listened to his smooth voice.

"Would it be alright if I came to visit you in a couple of days? I've got a little time off and there's no one else I'd rather be with."

A smile fell over my face at his words. "I'd love that," I replied.

"Good," he said. "We didn't get to spend nearly enough time together here in Forks."

"I know. I feel like I barely know you," I said, remembering my discussion with Mr. Charles and Edward's comment at the beginning of our conversation.

He chuckled and sighed, "And I would love to try to figure you out, my dear Bella."

I laughed at his comment—I had always thought I was pretty easy to figure out. Edward, on the other hand, seemed like a puzzle that could never be solved.

"Why don't you try to go back to sleep," he said softly.

"Okay," I agreed, "you too. Sorry for waking you up."

He laughed. "Okay, Bella. See you soon."

"Bye, Edward," I whispered into the phone before closing it.

I rolled over and fell asleep again to my thoughts of Edward as the sweet, caring man I had fallen for the very first day I met him.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Bella Swan!" Came the cocky voice of one of my coworkers as he breezed by my desk. "Nice story, yesterday."

"Thanks, Mike," I said with a forced smile.

My whole day had been filled with comments, questions, concerns, and praises for my story that ran on the front page of yesterday's newspaper. I got several nasty emails, my editor passed down many letters that had been sent to him, and I had nearly ten voice messages from people both praising and defaming my article. I brushed them all off with a smile, trying my best to skirt around the details and follow the same storyline as my article when asked questions. My nerves had been wound tight all day, stretching thin with every probing question. I had assumed that once I finished writing the article that I was done giving out lies to cover the story, but it seemed that my web of lies was just beginning to take shape. It took every ounce of concentration in me to keep from spilling my secrets and giving them all the truth. However, I knew the importance of the secret that I guarded, and that kept my lips sealed.

I took a long sip from the mug of hot coffee sitting on my desk before opening the next email in my inbox, titled "Response to Murders." It seemed much the same as the other emails I had received. I opened it and began to read the words inside.

_Dearest Bella,_

_I will not be able to think of anything else until I can touch the hand that wrote this piece again._

_Truly yours,_

_Edward Cullen_

I smiled, momentarily forgetting the stressful day I had been having and focused solely on the fact that I would get to see Edward soon.

"What are you smiling about?" I heard Jacob's voice ask.

I quickly wiped the smile from my face and closed the email as I looked up to face him.

"I just got a nice email from a reader," I replied.

"Hmm," he said simply. "Do you want to go to lunch in a few minutes? I'm starving."

"Jacob, it's not even eleven!" I said, stealing a glance at my watch.

He shrugged and took another sip of the coffee he held in his hand. "I just thought you could use a break. You've been looking a little stressed all morning. I thought you might break off Mike's head when he mentioned the story a few minutes ago," he said with a laugh.

"True," I said, shrugging my shoulders while I grabbed my purse from its place under my desk. "Let's go."

We went to a little cafe a few blocks down from the office. Jacob and I managed to steal a table in the corner where our food was quickly delivered, and we ate in light conversation as I felt my nerves unwind.

The lunch break was a much needed distraction from the work day. I only realized how stressed I had been when I got away from the office for an hour and had a chance to unwind. Going back to work seemed like a sentence straight from Hell.

"Tonight, you can have total control of the TV," Jacob said with a laugh as we exited the elevator on our floor. "You deserve it after a day like this."

I laughed at Jacob's offer, knowing how big of an offer it was coming from him. He usually grabbed the remote the moment we walked in the door and didn't relinquish control of it until the moment he went to bed.

"Deal," I said with a laugh and rounded the corner into my cubicle.

He began laughing along with me, but he stopped short. "What's that?"

I glanced in the direction of my desk, my breath stopping in my throat when I saw what sat to the side of my computer. An enormous arrangement of white roses, daisies, lilies, and carnations stood on my desk, staring back at me as I looked in disbelief.

"They must belong somewhere else," I said hurriedly as my face blushed red.

Jacob stepped forward to inspect the arrangement, finding the small card tucked in among the petals. He turned it to me after taking a quick glance at the outside. It said my name in curling gold script.

"Let me see that," I said, snatching the card out of his hands before he had a chance to read it.

"_I'll be seeing you," _read the curling script inside the card. I couldn't contain my smile as I realized who the flowers were from.

My heart seemed to accelerate to twice its normal speed as I tucked the card back into the small envelope and stepped closer to admire the flowers. I inhaled deeply, noticing the overwhelming scent of the lilies over every other smell. They had always been my favorite.

"Bella!" I heard Jacob's annoyed voice say, bringing me out of my euphoric state. "Who are they from?"

Blushing, I remembered that I hadn't told Jacob about Edward yet—I didn't want to bring out his protective big brother instincts.

"Swan! Black! Don't stand around all day," I heard my boss's voice bark from behind us.

"I'm sorry, sir," we both mumbled quickly, and I turned to Jacob as he was leaving.

"We'll talk about it later," I whispered. My mind spun and my heart raced as I sat down at my desk and tried to concentrate on my work again. I wasn't used to grand gestures, especially from someone I had known for barely a week.

My afternoon was spotted with daydreams, which were always followed with a quick realization of how much work I had to get done, and consequently, elevated stress levels.

I glanced at the clock- it was now 5:11. I told Jacob I would be finished by five. He had seemed irritated with me since he saw the gift I had gotten this afternoon. Resigning myself to another stressful day tomorrow, I turned off my computer and threw my bag over my shoulder as I stood to leave the office. I eyed the bouquet of flowers sitting on my desk for a moment, trying to decide whether or not to bring them with me. I hated to let such a beautiful arrangement go to waste sitting here in my cubicle where no one could enjoy them. However, I knew it would just pique Jacob's irritation even more if I brought them with me. With a regretful sigh, I finally dismissed my dilemma and left the flowers on my desk, resigning myself to appreciating them while I was at work.

"Bella, where have you been? I've been sitting here forever," Jacob growled in frustration as I walked past him on my way out the door.

"It's been ten minutes, Jake, you'll survive." I knew I was being short with him, but I couldn't help being upset with him after his reaction to my flowers.

He grumbled on the way out to the car, only heightening my frustration with him. We were both grouchy and irritable for the drive home and the unavoidable conversation about the person who sent my flowers.

"So...?" He prompted once he hit the highway on the drive home.

"So, what?" I snapped, fully aware of the question he was asking but too stubborn to cooperate.

"So who sent you those flowers, Bella?"

"We'll talk about it later, Jake. I don't feel like getting into it right now," I said, exasperated.

"It _is_ later!" He argued. "You asked to wait until we got off work. Here we are- off work! Now I need to know!"

"You don't _need_ to know!" I argued back defensively. "My private life is mine—no one has a right to it unless I specifically say they do."

I glanced back over at him out of the corner of my eye. His jaw was set and his eyes were locked on the road in front of him in an angry stare, and his knuckles were white as he held the wheel with both hands.

"Listen, Jake, if you want to talk about this, we'll do it later—when _I'm_ _ready_," I said. "I just really want to get home and relax for a little while. This has been an awful day."

His hands loosened on the wheel and I saw him glance at me from the corner of his eye. "Fine," he grumbled, still not pleased, but not angry anymore either.

"Thank you, Jake," I said, relaxing into the seat comfortably for the rest of the ride home.

As we pulled into the lot of our apartment complex, Jacob finally turned to me with a weak smile.

"I'm really sorry, Bells," he said gently as he turned the car off, placing his hand over mine and giving it a squeeze. "It just bothers me."

"I know," I said with a small smile. "We can talk about it when we get inside."

He nodded and got out of the car, grabbing both my bag and his own out of the backseat of the car. I started constructing my explanation in my mind as we walked to our apartment, running through different explanations in my head, each seeming more inadequate than the last.

_So, I met a vampire while I was in Forks last week, and I'm falling in love with him. _Yeah, that wouldn't go over so well.

I stood impatiently outside the door as Jacob fumbled with the lock, the suspense making the discussion we were about to have even worse. I still had no idea what I would tell Jacob when he opened the door and stood aside for me to enter the foyer. Noticing movement in the living room, he whispered a quick "Stay here," before taking quiet footsteps toward the living room.

"Who are you?! What are you doing in here?!" I heard Jacob yell from the living room, panic written in his voice.

My heart began to thunder in my chest as I hurried down the hallway into the living room, taking in the scene before me. There stood Jacob, wide-eyed and angry, focused on the intruder. The breath left my lungs when I realized that I knew the other man in the room. The recognition did nothing to slow my hammering heartbeat.

"Edward?" My voice squeaked, a combination of surprise and excitement.

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**Whew! **

**I know- I'm evil, and I'm sorry! **

**Couple things you should know. First, Jacob has his reasons. I know you're all ready to rip him a new one, but give him a chance to explain himself first. I know its a bit unconventional, but the next chapter we're going to get a bit of his POV. Maybe then, you'll understand a little better where he's coming from with all his anger toward Bella and her secret admirer. Second thing you should know (completely unrelated to angsty Jacob), is that it might be a week or two before I can update again. I'm smack dab in the middle of final projects and final exams, and I am on overload. My life is one big nightmare right now. Soooo on that note... It would be lovely for you to leave a review to brighten my day! :) Thank you all so much for reading! :)**


	10. The Saltwater Room

**Just as promised, here we are at Tuesday and here is Chapter 10! I love keeping promises :) **

**Story rec time- **

** When World's Collide by JandMsMommy. LOVE that story. :)**

** Risky Business by LovingAngels07. Another fabulous one!**

**There's an exciting note at the end of the chapter- make sure you read it! Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 10: The Saltwater Room**

"_Time together isn't ever quite enough  
When you and I are alone, I've never felt so at home  
What will it take to make or break this hint of love?  
We need time, only time  
When we're apart, whatever are you thinking of?  
If this is what I call home, why does it feel so alone?  
So tell me darling, do you wish we'd fall in love?  
All the time, all the time"_

_-Owl City_

A tidal wave of emotions rolled over me as I registered Edward's presence in my living room. First, I was overjoyed to see him, and I wanted to run into his arms and be held forever. Second, panic struck me as I realized that Jacob still had no idea who Edward was. My nerves tingled as I anticipated telling him everything that had happened in Forks while Edward sat next to me. I was frozen in the doorway as both Edward and Jacob stared at me expectantly.

"You…you know this guy?!" Jacob finally exclaimed, his voice full of anger.

I nodded slowly, my mind formulating a plan.

"Edward, can you give us a minute?" I asked, giving him a weak smile. I knew I couldn't talk to Jacob with Edward in the room. His simple presence put a flock of butterflies in my stomach that made it too difficult to concentrate.

"Sure," he agreed, turning toward the front door of the apartment as Jacob and I sat down on the couch.

We waited until we heard the front door close with a small click, and then Jacob's anger began to boil over.

"Who the Hell is that?" Jacob asked quickly.

"I'm really sorry, Jake," I began in a voice that was barely above a whisper. I hated that I felt like I had to defend myself to him, but I knew I should've told him about Edward. I owed him at least that much.

"I don't care how sorry you are. I just want to know who that guy is!" He exclaimed, putting both his hands on top of his head and running his hands through his short hair.

"His name is Edward Cullen," I said. "He lives in Forks with his family. I met him last week while I was there."

"And what, he has some sort of thing for you now? He just shows up in Seattle?" Jacob asked, his anger not subsiding.

"Well, it's kind of a mutual thing," I replied with a shrug.

He rolled his eyes as he shook his head with a deep sigh, crossing his arms over his chest. "I guess that explains why you were so happy when you got home on Saturday," he said.

"We talked that morning—he came to my hotel before I left. We decided to give whatever we have together a shot."

Jacob rolled his eyes again before letting out a small grunt. "Bella, how do you know anything about him? You've only known him for a few days."

This was the question I had been dreading. I really didn't know anything about Edward. All I really knew was that I didn't know enough about him to care about him as much as I did. I was going to figure everything out while he was in Seattle. "I'm going to figure it out," I snapped defensively.

"Bella!" Jacob practically screamed at me, sinking his head into his hands.

"Jacob, it's not your job to decide who I can see," I said, crossing my arms tightly over my chest and glaring at him, daring him to tell me I couldn't date Edward.

"Fine, Bella," he said, throwing his hands up in the air and taking steps backward away from me. "Do what you want, but don't say I didn't warn you."

I opened my mouth to snap back, but as soon as he finished speaking he turned and stalked back out the front door quickly.

I stood with my arms crossed in shock for a moment. Silent tears welled up in my eyes, tracing quick paths down my cheeks when I blinked.

**Jacob POV**

I felt like pulling my hair out. I felt like screaming. I felt like punching in the wall. While I stood in the elevator waiting for it to take me down, I paced back and forth in the small space, threading my fingers through my hair and cursing mentally. At one point, I actually did hit the metal walls of the elevator with a tight fist, creating an empty metallic sound that echoed into my subconscious.

Did Bella not know how irresponsible she was being? I wanted-- no, I _needed_, to protect her from the creep that broke into our apartment. She didn't know anything about this guy! And she was _dating_ him! She could get herself killed! Bella being Bella, of course, wouldn't listen to reason.

I eventually reached the small outdoor area that the apartment complex offered, featuring wooden benches, a small playground for the children, and a short walking path back through the trees. I found a bench that was placed close to the trees and took a seat, leaning over to place my elbows on my knees, staring at the ground between my feet. My breathing was coming in short, angry gasps, and I knew I was close to losing it.

For as long as I could remember, it had been me and Bella-- the two of us against the world, in a way. I remembered the day our alliance formed. We were in seventh grade and I dreamed of being a football player, even though I was scrawny and short.

"_Jacob?" Bella asked, turning toward me with a thoughtful look on her twelve year old face._

_We were sitting in English class and I was putting the finishing touches on a short story that we had been assigned to write. Bella, always the perfectionist, had been finished for a few minutes now, and had been staring at me with that thoughtful look on her face._

"_Hmm?" I asked, still concentrated on my story. _

"_You're a really good writer. You should come to Seattle and be a reporter with me."_

_I looked at her with an incredulous look on my face. "I'm going to play football," I said, as if it was stupid of her to even think I would do anything else._

_She shrugged. "Will you come to Seattle with me anyway?"_

"_Why?" I asked, turning my attention back to my story._

"_Because you're my best friend," she stated simply._

_I thought about it for a minute, scrunching my eyebrows together and chewing my bottom lip. "Does Seattle have a football team?" _

_She nodded her head in earnest, even though she probably had no idea. _

"_Okay. You can write and I can play football-- and we can both get out of here," I agreed, casting a disdainful look around me._

_I turned my attention back to my story, leaving Bella with a satisfied smile on her face._

Ever since that day, Bella and I had devised a plan to get out of Forks together. Of course, my plans changed, and I now wrote about football instead of actually playing, but other than that, things were exactly as we had always imagined. We grew up together, confided in each other, and protected each other. My mind drifted again, this time to the fall of our freshman year in college together in Seattle.

_Bella and I lay in the grass under one of the huge trees in the courtyard of the dormitories. It was a warm afternoon, unusually pleasant for Seattle; we were simply enjoying the weather and each other's company. _

"_Hey, Jake..." she said, shifting her body so she was propped up on one elbow looking at me when she spoke. "I never did thank you for coming out here with me."_

_Without even opening my eyes to look at her I shrugged. "You rescued me from a stuffy dorm room where I would have studied biology all afternoon. I like being out here better."_

_I heard her give me a small laugh and she began again. "No, I don't mean today specifically, Jake. I mean Seattle in general."_

_Surprised, I opened my eyes and sat up a little before responding. "You don't have to thank me for that. I wanted to get out of Forks just as badly as you did."_

"_Well," she said, plucking at a strand of grass in the ground between us, "Sometimes I kinda feel like I dragged you out here with me."_

"_Bella, if I hadn't come out here I would have gone somewhere else. I couldn't have just stayed in Forks. That place drove me crazy, and I had no intention of sticking around to run my dad's shop."_

_She gave me a small smile, and we were quiet again for a moment. I took in the warm sunshine above me and the soft grass beneath me and thought about my best friend lying there beside me, and decided, without a doubt, that this was right where I wanted to be. _

"_I don't know what I would do without you, Jake," she whispered quietly, interrupting my thoughts. _

_I smiled back at her and nodded. "Me neither, Bells."_

It had always been like that. I needed her and she needed me. We were a team. We had always faced whatever life threw at us together. I wouldn't be the person I had become if it wasn't for Bella and her unending love, encouragement and friendship. I couldn't help but feel that she was throwing everything we had built away for some guy she barely knew. Instinctively, I also knew that this guy meant more to Bella than she was willing to let me know--Hell, probably more than she knew herself.

I had known Bella was different since she returned from Forks. She seemed happier, lighter somehow. There was a spark in her that I hadn't really seen before. The look in her eyes when I caught her texting when she got home and the way she smiled at her flowers were clues. When Bella saw that guy, _Edward_, today, my suspicions were confirmed. She wanted nothing more than to run to him and jump into his arms. If she wasn't in love yet, she would be soon and that scared the Hell out of me.

Where would that leave us? I wanted her to be happy, truly, I did. She deserved nothing less. Unfortunately, I knew that a relationship wasn't big enough for three people. I would be cast aside, romance and soul mates chosen over friendship and kindred spirits.

**Bella POV**

I swiped angrily at the traces the tears has left down my cheeks and willed myself back to the door to find Edward.

"Hey," I said, poking my head out the door and peering down at Edward slumped against the wall.

His frown evaporated and he smiled up at me. "Hey," he returned, standing to his feet.

I opened the door wider and motioned for him to come in. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he followed me back down the hall into the living room, shooting me apologetic looks every time I peeked over my shoulder at him. I still couldn't believe he was here. In Seattle. For me. But all that aside, I knew I had screwed up, and now I needed to fix it.

"Bella," he breathed, tracing his fingers down my arm until he reached my hand and spun me around to face him. "I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have just shown up like that. I forgot that you live with Jacob and I didn't think. Will you forgi-"

"No, Edward," I said, closing my eyes and shaking my head. "It's not your fault. I knew you were coming eventually and I put off telling Jacob about you. About us. It was my mistake."

He leaned forward and wrapped his strong arms around me, pulling me into his chest. He smelled of cedar and musk; I breathed in deeply, both to calm my nerves and to enjoy his closeness. He eventually leaned down and kissed the top of my head, pulling away slowly and looking deep into my eyes.

"You need to go talk to him," Edward said softly, brushing his thumb in a soft pattern across my cheek. "Don't worry about me."

My brow creased slightly at the thought of leaving Edward for even a moment, but he cut me off before I could argue.

"There's nothing I'd rather do than just shut ourselves away from the world for the next forty-eight hours, but he is your best friend and he feels like you just shoved him away," he said gently.

"How do you know?" I mumbled argumentatively. I knew he was right, but the thought of being away from Edward when he was in Seattle made me begrudge making amends with my best friend.

That teasing crooked smile reappeared on his face and he chuckled slightly. "We'll talk about that later."

I rolled my eyes at him and he gave me a smile that made my heart flip.

"Let's go," he said, lacing his fingers through mine and dragging me towards the door.

"Do you know where to find him?" Edward asked as we rode the elevator down from the apartment.

I thought for a moment before answering. "I think so. If not, I'll try calling him. He'll pick up."

"Good," Edward said, giving my hand a gentle squeeze as we stepped off the elevator. "Give me a call and we'll go get dinner or something when you're ready."

"Okay," I smiled.

We parted ways, me to the back of the building toward the double glass doors overlooking the playground and Edward through the front, out into the gloomy Seattle evening.

I glanced around the open space when I walked outside, looking for Jacob. He liked to come out back and think. He did it whenever his dad called, when he had a rough day, and now when I seemingly rejected him. I finally spied him sitting under a canopy of trees off to the side, scuffing the toe of his black shoe in the dirt at the foot of the bench. His hands were clasped in front of him and he was staring at the ground between his legs, so he didn't see me approaching.

"Hey, Jake," I said cautiously.

He looked up suddenly, the frown on his face making me feel instantly guilty. "What are you doing out here?"

"I need to talk to you."

He gave me a small "hmph" of acknowledgment, so I took that as I sign to continue. I sat down on the bench beside him and took a deep breath to gather my thoughts.

"I'm really sorry I didn't tell you about Edward," I said slowly.

"Whatever, Bella. You're a grown woman. You don't need me to approve." He kicked the dirt at our feet again, but harder this time.

"You're my best friend, Jake. You've been the most important person to me for as long as I can remember. Your opinion matters to me. No, I don't _need _you to approve, but I _want_ you to approve."

His head shot up from where his eyes had been locked on the ground and focused on me for the first time. "Oh really, Bella? Is that why you decided to keep this a secret? If you wanted me to approve you should have told me when this started. Or even when you came home—when I specifically asked what was going on with you. Honestly, Bella, I never thought you'd get yourself in such a _stupid_ situation."

"Nothing about this is _stupid_!" I fought back.

"Oh really?" Jacob spat, raising one of his dark eyebrows at me. "You don't even know him, Bella!"

"I know him well enough to know that he cares about me, and I'm learning the rest," I said confidently. "I don't even see why this is your business, Jacob. If I'm happy, then you should be too. That's what a best friend does. Instead, you just decided to pass judgment and decide that I'm too _stupid_ to know what I'm doing."

"I'm worried about you! Most girls don't run off to another town and find a boyfriend who breaks into your apartment a few days later! Do you not see how that's the slightest bit creepy?"

I tipped my chin up at his remark to ward off the truth of his statement, and stood to my feet. "I'm done with this," I said quickly, turning to stomp back inside where I could call Edward and forget about Jacob for a while.

"Bella, wait," I heard Jacob call from behind me. I considered turning to listen to what he had to say, but with fierce determination, I decided that he would have to learn to respect my happiness before I listened to his arguments anymore. With that, I straightened my shoulders and quickened my pace, hoping Jacob wouldn't follow.

As soon as I got in my car, I texted Edward and asked him to meet me at a local diner. I let the music roar through my head while I drove to the diner. Somehow, it managed to block out all the thoughts of Jacob and his opinions that I didn't care to hear anymore.

"Sounds like someone didn't kiss and make up," Edward said, opening my door as soon as I pulled into the parking lot of the diner.

"What?" I said defensively. "I tried talking to him."

"That music screams angry from four blocks away, Bella," he said. "What happened?"

I looked up into his perfect face, trying to decide whether or not to go into the gritty details. "He's just being a jerk," I finally replied, forcing myself to drop the frown as I stepped out of my car and toward Edward.

He tipped a smile at me, understanding my reluctance to talk about it, and took my hand as we walked into the diner.

"You actually _want _to eat here?" Edward asked as we waited on the hostess to wipe off one of the booths in the corner for us.

"Best burger in town!" I said with a smile. "Don't you like greasy, unhealthy burgers?"

He laughed as he shook his head. "Not at all."

I thought about that for a moment. "Wait... so... you don't eat normal food... at all?" I said in a half whisper, leaning into his side as I spoke so that I wouldn't be overheard.

"Not at all," he replied nonchalantly.

"Oh..." I replied thoughtfully as I slipped into the booth across from him. The waitress offered the menus, but he waved his away.

"I just ate," he said.

A smile played on my lips while I watched him, but I quickly focused my attention on the worn laminated menu in front of me when he looked back at me. I ordered a few minutes later, asking for my favorite burger and a double side of fries.

"Okay," Edward said, propping his arms on the table in front of us and leaning across it to speak closer to me. "I've got an idea."

"What?" I asked with a laugh, amused by his clear excitement.

"Do you have a couple of pens?"

"Um, I think so," I said, rummaging through my purse until I found two. "Here."

"Great," he said, taking one of the pens from me. "I want you to take your napkin and write down ten things that I don't know about you."

I wrinkled my forehead in ridiculous amusement. "Why can't I just tell you?" I laughed.

"Because I don't want to say mine out loud," he said with a wink as he pulled one of the wrinkled paper napkins toward him and smoothed it gently before placing the pen at the top, poised to begin his list.

I rolled my eyes and pulled one of the napkins in front of me and began my list.

_#1._

…I had no idea what to write. I pursed my lips and looked across the table to where he was leaning over his own napkin, his elegant script already down to the third line. He was probably coming up with interesting facts about himself, but I couldn't come up with anything besides my favorite color. I shrugged, he didn't specify how deep these facts had to be.

_#1. My favorite color is blue. _

I smirked and continued to the second fact.

_#2. I like old romance novels-- Jane Austen is my favorite._

_#3. I talk in my sleep._

_#4. Scary movies give me nightmares._

_#5. I hate cats-- they freak me out._

_#6. I could eat Chinese food every day for the rest of my life._

_#7. I am the clumsiest person you've ever met._

I glanced up again while I tried to think of three more things to write. Edward was sitting across the table with his hands folded in front of him on top of his folded over napkin, grinning at me while I wrote.

"You look so deep in thought," he laughed.

"I'm trying to think of something not stupid!" I retorted.

"I won't think anything on your list is stupid."

I rolled my eyes and turned back to my napkin.

_#8. Jacob has been my best friend since I was two._

_#9. My family is totally dysfunctional._

_#10. I've never been in love._

I folded my napkin in half just like he had done and slid it across the table to him with a shy smile. He returned my smile before picking up my napkin and opening it to read. I tried reaching for his napkin that was pinned under his left hand, but he moved it away from me, leaving me to only watch him while he read my list.

He smirked as he began reading, and I felt my face blush. After a couple seconds, he actually laughed.

"What?" I demanded.

"You talk in your sleep?" he asked, the playful smile still on his lips.

I felt my face flush even brighter red. "Sometimes..." I lied. More like all the time, but he didn't need to know that.

He went back to reading, but after only a second, he laughed again. "How do cats freak you out?"

I shrugged. "Their eyes are demonic. When I lived in Forks the lady across the street had a cat that always sat in the window in the front of her house and just stared at people. It was really weird and it freaked me out."

He laughed again and looked back at my napkin.

"Bella, if you know you're clumsy, why would you try to climb that slick rock back in the woods the day we met?"

I shrugged, and he rolled his eyes and went back to reading. The smile slowly drained from his face as he read the last couple things on my list.

"What?" I asked as I noticed it.

"Nothing," he shrugged. "That was a good list."

I rolled my eyes at him, still feeling unsatisfied with my list. "Can I see yours now?" I asked.

He slid his napkin over to me and I opened it, stealing a glance at him before I began reading.

_#1. I don't eat greasy, unhealthy hamburgers, or any normal food for that matter. My favorite food is mountain lion._

I felt my eyes widen in shock at his first statement.

"Mountain lion?" I rasped in shock.

He had his hands folded in front of him again, and he nodded casually. "It's a delicacy," he said with a smile.

I forced a smile and I turned my attention back to his list.

_#2. When you called me that night at 2:00 am, you didn't wake me up. I don't sleep._

"You... don't sleep?" I asked hesitantly.

"Never," he replied. "I can't."

Shaking my head, I moved on.

_#3. Biologically, I'm 24. In reality, I'm over 100._

My mouth popped open into a small "o" at this declaration. I looked at the handsome man across the table from me. This shouldn't have come as such a surprise since Mr. Charles had told me as much just two days ago, but I still had a hard time grasping the truth.

"How old are you really?" I asked slowly.

He chuckled and ran his hand back through his tangled bronze hair. "One hundred and fifteen. I was changed in 1918 when I was 24 years old. I haven't aged a day since."

My heart was pounding with this influx of information, but at the same time, I was desperate for more.

_#4. I'm faster than anything on this Earth. I've raced cars on the Autobahn._

_#5. I'm stronger than you could ever imagine. Schwarzenegger ain't got nothin' on me._

_#6. I can't go out in the sunlight. Then, I might really dazzle you._

"Will you melt?" I asked suddenly, looking up into his eyes.

"Excuse me?" he asked, leaning forward toward me.

"Will you melt? If you go out in the sunlight, I mean," I clarified, realizing that he didn't even know what number I was on.

He threw himself back into the booth with a roar of laughter. "What are you talking about, Bella? Will I melt?"

I shrugged.

"No, Bella, I don't melt. I don't stay in a coffin either, by the way," he chuckled.

I blushed and continued.

_#7. I can read every mind in this room except for yours._

I went back and read this point again. And again. And one more time. That couldn't be right... I glanced up at him to see if he was teasing me. His face was indiscernible.

"What do you mean, you can read minds?" I asked.

A smile broke on his face, and he leaned forward to speak in a low voice so that only I would hear. "I could tell you what everyone in this room is thinking right now-- except for you."

"You're kidding me," I said flatly, unable to believe that was true.

"Not at all," he replied surely. "You see that man in the blue shirt behind me? He's thinking that waitress in the pink shirt is hot. He's going to ask for her number next time she goes to his table."

I rolled my eyes, but my attention was caught by the waitress walking past us on her way to his table. I watched her, and strained to hear what they were saying. Their words were hard to make out in the noisy diner, but I could tell that the man wasn't just ordering a burger. The waitress laughed a moment later and flipped open a page of her notepad, writing something down on the page before ripping it off and handing it to the man.

"See?" Edward said, raising one of his thick eyebrows at me.

I thought about their exchange for another moment before Edward spoke again.

"Do you want another example?"

My eyes darted from Edward, back to the man who was now tucking the slip of paper into his wallet, and back to Edward. I shook my head and moved on down the list.

_#8. I have lived in Chicago, Wisconsin, Wyoming, France, Russia, Montana, Alaska, and now Washington._

_#9. I love classical music-- I taught myself to play piano during my first year as a vampire._

I smiled at this point, remembering the day I ran into him in the music store and the perfect melody that was coming from the piano before I interrupted him.

_#10. In all my years, I've never found anyone quite as captivating as you._

My smile faltered for a moment while I read this statement with the significance of it, but it only took a moment for it to grow again, filling my heart with happiness. How I could ever mean something to someone like Edward astounded me, but as I looked back across the table at him, I found my heart accelerating with happiness.

"Really?" I breathed

"Yes, really, Bella," he replied, obviously knowing that I was referring to the last item on his list.

"But…but…I'm just me. How is it that you could possibly feel that way?"

"Bella, everything about you calls to me—your warmth, your smile, your laugh, your beautiful blush. You make me crazy, you make me laugh. In many ways, I realize that I barely know you. But somehow, I know that I can't be without you."

As I looked into his eyes, I gasped at the truth of his statement. As he called to me, I somehow called to him, too. We were drawn to each other and powerless to stop it. At that moment, I couldn't help but think that he would be the one to help me cross off the last item on my list.

* * *

**Ok, first exciting thing. I've finally come out of the dark ages! I now have Twitter-- follow me at maggieloo402! Second exciting thing. JandMsMommy and I started our own blog the other day. There you can find teasers for both her story, When Worlds Collide, and for Unbitten, other great recommendations, and anything else that catches our eye -- thosethatdrinkwhiletheywrite(dot)blogspot(dot)com :) **

**Thank you all so much for reading, and if you want to make my day (which I just _know_ you do), leave me a review!! Thanks! :)**


	11. Fearless

Hello, my loves! I'm so sorry this took a while to get out! I'm home for the holidays with my family and they make it a little hard to concentrate on my writing! Buuut its here now and I think you'll all love it! This chapter makes me really happy :) Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the intellectual property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.

Thank you Leah, for keeping this from being a worthless chapter :) I loves ya!

* * *

**Chapter 11: Fearless**

"_'Cause I don't know how it gets better than this  
You take my hand and drag me headfirst, fearless  
And I don't know why but with you I'd dance  
In a storm in my best dress, fearless"_

_-Taylor Swift_

"Bella, that's got to be the most disgusting thing I've ever seen," Edward said, wrinkling his nose and raising his eyebrows at me while I took another huge bite of my burger.

Containing my giggles, I closed my eyes and moaned at the taste, onion, lettuce, and bacon hanging from my mouth as I chewed. I opened my eyes and looked to Edward to see him shudder with obvious disgust.

I laughed, using my napkin to wipe the ketchup from the corners of my mouth. I might have been exaggerating my enjoyment of the burger slightly, but it was worth it to see the repulsion on his face as I ate.

"It's delicious," I said when I finally swallowed. "Try it."

I held the burger in front of his face and waved it under his nose. "Come on, Edward, just try it!"

He suddenly surprised me by snatching the burger out of my hands and taking a huge bite.

"There. You happy?" he asked, his mouth stuffed with the beef, lettuce, and tomato that I had been taunting him with for the last half hour.

My mouth popped open in shock. "I thought you couldn't eat that stuff!" I exclaimed when I got my voice back.

He raised his eyebrows at me before speaking again. "I said I _don't _eat it. That doesn't mean I _can't_."

He made a disgusted face before taking a deep swallow, finishing the bite of the burger he had taken. "It's like humans and... well, like humans and dirt I guess. You _could_ eat it, but you never would."

"That's disgusting," I laughed.

He shrugged and pointed to my food. "No, _that's _disgusting."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

When I finished eating, Edward led me outside into the cool evening air, taking my hand in his as we walked down the sidewalks of Seattle. People passed us, some hurrying home, some shopping, and others just wandering, like us, down the streets, simply enjoying time together.

We talked about our lives, I spoke of growing up; he spoke of being. We talked about our families, I told him about my hair-brained mother and my distant father; he told me about the loving family dynamic that had formed in his home over one hundred years. I learned about the way he and his family lived, and in turn, I told him why I had escaped Forks after high school. Being with Edward felt completely natural, despite our obvious differences. Talking to him made me feel warm inside, despite the cool Seattle air blowing around us. It was as if our souls were old friends, our bodies were simply catching up.

Once during our walk, I noticed a couple around our age. He was holding her hand, looking at her while she spoke. His eyes held unfathomable emotion; she looked as though she could live and die happily in his arms. It was obvious that they were the most important things in each other's worlds; they were a couple in love.

I wondered what people saw when they looked at Edward and me. Would they see the protective way he held me close? Would they see the endless emotion in his features? Would they be able to see that I cherished his very being? Would they see a couple in love?

_Too fast, _I chastised myself. I knew that I had feelings for Edward, and that I didn't want to be without him. I knew that I had never felt this way before, that I was falling in love. But could I really _be_ in love with him? Could we really make this work?

We eventually made our way to a small park that occupied one of the city blocks, surrounded by a barricade of trees to keep out the bustling city scene. The pathways were lit by glowing lamps in a winding trail through the rows of hedges. He smiled before directing me down one path into the park, his golden eyes reflecting the soft light around us.

"Are you having fun, Bella?" he asked gently as he led me down the path.

I smiled up at him in complete happiness and nodded. "Very much."

"Good," he said, moving his arm to encircle my shoulders and give me a slight squeeze.

Eventually we made our way to a small circular pond surrounded by white benches, lit again by the glowing lights that gave everything in the park a golden glow. He sat down and pulled me to sit against him, my back against his solid chest and his arms surrounding me. He kissed my temple and we exchanged a smile before I decided to speak what had been on my mind all evening.

"Edward... can I ask you a question?" I asked slowly, turning so I could look at him while I spoke.

"Anything, Bella," he breathed into my ear.

"Is this really possible?" I barely whispered, looking up into his eyes.

His playful smile dropped and he was suddenly staring into my brown eyes with his strange, honey colored ones with a tangible intensity.

"Bella, you have bewitched me, body and soul. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on," he said, looking into my eyes with such sincerity that I almost missed the significance of his words.

I tried to contain my smile as I rolled my eyes. "That's from Pride and Prejudice," I said accusingly.

His wide, crooked smile bloomed over his face. "You said you liked Jane Austen. I was testing you."

I scoffed at his "test."

"Of course I caught it," I said, "but you still need to answer my question."

He leaned forward until his forehead was touching mine, but our faces were still angled away from each other while we spoke.

"I did answer your question, Bella. I may have used Jane Austen's infamous words, but the meaning is the same. You have captivated me, and I can't be without you. We will _make_ this possible."

I was surprised at the rush of moisture that pricked at my eyes. Instead of trying to form words for the happiness that I was feeling, I put my arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug, pressing my cheek into his solid chest. We stayed like that for a moment, tangled together on the bench as I breathed in his rich scent and enjoyed his closeness.

"Bella," I heard Edward breathe gently into my ear.

I lifted my head from his chest and looked up into his eyes. I had never seen him look at me like this before. There was the familiar tenderness that I recognized, but there was also a certain element of lust in his eyes that I had never seen before.

"Don't move," he whispered fiercely, moving in the same moment to crash his lips into mine. He moved his hands so that our only point of contact was through our joined lips, but that was enough to send a current running through my body that I felt all the way down to my toes.

_Don't move, don't move, don't move, _I repeated in my head, trying to convince my hands to stay in their innocent position on my own legs. My mind spun and my thoughts jumbled as our kiss continued, and my mantra of "don't move" slowly dissolved and I found my hands moving from my legs to his, then up his abdomen and his chest, then locking around the back of his neck, pulling him closer to me in an attempt to deepen our kiss.

"Bella!" He suddenly yelled, pushing himself away from me and snatching my hands from behind his neck, holding one of my wrists in each hand in the space between our bodies. "I told you not to move!"

His eyes flashed dark and angry, and I felt my insides cower in embarrassment.

"I'm not _normal_, Bella," he said, his tone softening a bit as he released my wrists. "You... You can't _trust_ me."

"But I do trust you, Edward," I said quickly. "I know you wouldn't ever hurt me."

"Don't say that!" he barked harshly, a pained expression on his face as he ran his hands through his messy bronze hair, still shining ethereally in the soft light around us.

I felt my forehead wrinkle in confusion as I waited for him to continue.

He was silent for another moment as he shook his head. "I would never _intentionally_ hurt you, Bella. That is my worst fear. But I can't lose control... because of what I am. My... my _being_ would hurt you, even though I have no desire to. If I let my senses take control, if I lost myself for just a moment..." he trailed off for a moment before shaking his head and continuing. "I could never forgive myself."

I searched for a response for a moment, but ended up just opening and shutting my mouth several times before shaking my head and remaining silent. It was another moment that I knew I should be afraid of Edward. In essence, he had just fought the urge to kill me. However, I could feel nothing but adoration and understanding. I had always known that Edward would never hurt me. He smelled my blood that first day in the forest when he helped me, and he had been near me numerous times since then without any problems, but a simple kiss seemed to bring out his primal instincts that he had been trying to bury for so many years.

"I'm sorry," I managed after a moment.

He lifted my chin with the tip of his finger so that I was looking into his eyes again.

"Don't be sorry, my dear Bella," he whispered softly. "You haven't done anything wrong."

He leaned down again and gently brushed his lips against mine before looking into my eyes again.

"Are you ready to go home?"

I frowned slightly, unwilling to end my time with him.

"Its nearly eleven, Bella," he reminded me softly.

I nodded. "Where are you staying?"

He shrugged as we began walking again. "I don't really need a place to stay since I don't need to sleep."

My eyes widened again. "Oh," I said. "Well, would you like to stay at my apartment? You can't just wander through Seattle all night."

At first he smiled, but his smile quickly faded and his brow wrinkled instead.

"I can't do that, Bella. Jacob doesn't like me as it is. I don't need another reason for him to hate me."

I was silent for a moment, contemplating his reasoning. It was true, Jacob hated Edward. Maybe if he didn't know...

"He doesn't have to know you're there," I said with a small smile. "Just come in after he goes to bed."

"Bella, I don't know if that's appropriate..." he began, but I cut him off.

"To Hell with appropriate," I said, waving my hand through the air as I blew it off.

He smiled that crooked smile at me. "You wouldn't mind?"

His question caused me to laugh lightly before I replied. "Quite the opposite actually-- I would love it."

He smiled widely in return and threw his arm over my shoulders, pulling me close to kiss my cheek as we walked.

I wasn't looking forward to going back home. I knew Jacob would be waiting there, ready to argue with me again about Edward. I also knew that, once again, I would end the argument upset and angry. This time, however, I knew more about Edward-- everything from his favorite color to his vampiric tendencies. Jacob could no longer argue that I didn't know enough about him, even if I couldn't share the new information with him. Besides, I couldn't imagine that the new information would do much to assuage his worries.

At that moment, I realized that Jacob was only one obstacle in the way of mine and Edward's relationship. I could not imagine that anyone would be very supportive of us. I remembered his sister Rosalie's reaction to my very presence in his home—I was very much a disruption to the happy home Edward had described to me earlier. It seemed that we had a long road of obstacles in front of us, if we could even begin to make our relationship work.

"_We will _make _this possible_," Edward's voice echoed in my head. He had spoken the words with such conviction that I had a hard time not believing them. We would make our relationship work, but at what cost?

We arrived home late, but Jacob was still awake, sitting in the living room, waiting for me. I asked Edward to wait outside the door until I could convince Jacob to go to bed, leaving me to sneak Edward into the apartment.

"Bella," Jacob greeted me curtly as I entered the foyer.

"Jacob," I said, returning his cold stare.

"Have you been out this whole time with _him_?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied. "And I did what you said-- I learned more about him."

"And?"

"And I still want to be with him." I wanted to tell Jacob that I couldn't think of anything that would _stop_ me from wanting to be with Edward, but I knew he wouldn't take that news well. That particular piece of information was even a little difficult for me to swallow.

Jacob sighed and rolled his eyes.

My eyes stung with unshed tears as I watched Jacob stew in anger. I needed Jacob. I always had. Just because I now had Edward didn't mean I could be without Jacob's friendship—nothing could change the relationship I had with him.

I made my way over to the couch and sat down beside my best friend, trying to gauge his reaction to my emotional state.

"Jacob?" I said, trying to draw his attention from the TV that was running on low volume in the corner. I didn't think he was really watching it. I could tell his mind was far away.

"What?" he said flatly.

"Why are you upset?"

He scoffed and rolled his eyes again before answering. "You know why, Bella. You're being irresponsible and stubborn. You're going to get hurt."

I frowned. "We spent the entire evening learning all about each other," I told him. "I know all about him. You just have to trust me. I know what I'm doing."

"Do you really?" he asked, his tone suddenly colored with hostility.

"Yes!" I replied, my temper flaring in response.

"If you knew what you were doing you would get rid of him," he said, effectively ending the conversation by standing and stalking back to his room and slamming the door.

I sank my head into my hands as I leaned over, the tears finally flowing freely down my cheeks. I was lost in my sadness until I felt a gentle hand on my back.

"Bella," Edward whispered in his velvety, soothing voice.

"He hates me," I mumbled through my tears. "He's going to make me choose between him and you."

"Bella," he said again, moving to sit beside me on the couch, rubbing soothing circles into my back while I sobbed into my hands.

"I can't do it!" I choked out.

He took his hand off of my back suddenly as I said that, and he scooted away from me on the couch. "Okay..." he said. "I'm sorry. I should never have pressured you into this. I'll leave now."

My head shot up out of my hands and my panicked heart hammered in my chest.

"Where are you going?" I cried, my eyes filling with terror as I watched him stand and back away from me.

"I'm not going to pressure you into this," he said gently. "You said you can't do this and I completely understand."

Before he could take another step, I flew off the couch and into his arms, a fresh wave of tears filling my eyes.

"No," I choked out between tears. "No, no, no. Edward," I began, raising my face from his chest to look into his eyes. "I didn't mean that. I mean I can't choose between him and you. He's my best friend and I've known him for ages, but... I _need_ you."

His arms came up and encircled me, pulling me close against him. His sweet musky smell calmed my tears after a few moments, and soon I was left brushing my cheeks and sniffling against the remaining tears.

"I know, Bella," he finally whispered into my hair. "I need you just as badly."

I looked up into his face and smiled through my tears. He needed me too.

We stayed like that for a long time, simply holding each other and reveling in our mutual feelings.

"You need to sleep," he finally whispered, pulling away from my hold and looking into my eyes.

I nodded and reached down to take his hand in mine. "Come with me?"

He hesitated, but only for a moment.

"Let's go," he answered.

As I got ready for bed, he watched me curiously, as if he had never seen someone get ready for bed before.

While I brushed my teeth, a thoughtful look came over his face.

"What?" I asked through a mouth full of toothpaste.

He met my eyes for a moment before speaking.

"Did you not get my gift today at work?" he asked.

His question caught me off guard, causing my cheeks to flush in embarrassment. I held up a finger to signal that I would answer when I got rid of all the toothpaste in my mouth. After I rinsed my mouth, I turned back to him.

"I did... and they were absolutely beautiful. Really-- they were the most beautiful flowers I've ever seen. But Jacob saw them while I was at work and they seemed to make him mad, so I decided to keep them at work. I didn't want to make him even more angry with me right before I told him about you."

A frown formed on his face and he nodded in understanding. Not wanting to talk about Jacob anymore, I left the doorway where I had been standing and went back into the bathroom to finish getting ready for bed.

I had to dig to the bottom of my drawer to find suitable pajamas. I found a pair of thick flannel bottoms and an old high school tee shirt that seemed appropriate to wear around Edward. When I came out of the bathroom, he laughed.

"What?" I asked as I let myself fall onto the bed beside him.

"You don't look very comfortable," he said.

I shrugged. "This isn't what I usually wear to bed, but with you here I have to put more clothes on."

A sly smile covered his face and he laughed. "Well, I wouldn't mind, if you wanted to be more comfortable..."

I rolled my eyes and threw one of the many pillows on my bed at him.

He gave me a shit eating grin and leaned over to kiss the tip of my nose.

"You ready to sleep?" he asked.

I nodded as I curled under the bedspread and pointed to the light on the wall opposite the bed. He rolled his eyes at me, but he stood and flipped the light off for me anyway. I smiled at him as he came back to my bed, marveling at the way the dim light coming through the window cast a strange glow on his skin.

When he reached the bed, he carefully tucked the comforter tightly around me before lying against my mummified form. He kept his head propped on one arm as he lay on his side, looking down at me as my eyelids began to feel heavier.

Just as my eyes fell shut, I felt his hand brush across my cheek, moving a stray piece of hair back behind my ear. His touch brought me back to consciousness and I opened my eyes slowly to look into his once more before falling asleep.

"Good night, my Bella," he whispered softly, his sweet breath clouding around me and sedating my senses even further.

"Mmm," I managed in acknowledgment before finally slipping into unconsciousness.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

I awoke the next morning to the sound of pots and pans rattling in the kitchen. I kept my eyes shut in an attempt to shut out the noise, but after a few more minutes, I gave up on trying to sleep and opened my eyes.

The first thing I saw was a long, beautiful rose lying on the pillow next to me. The frown that had formed because of the noise suddenly disappeared and was replaced by a wide smile as I reached over to pick up the rose.

I held it to my nose and took a deep breath as I rolled over on my back and used my elbow to prop me up in bed. Right as the fragrance of the rose hit my senses, I realized exactly how many roses there were in my room. My eyes first fell on the dresser directly across the room from my bed. There were two full vases of roses sitting there, along with several loose roses just lying around the vases. My attention was caught next by another vase sitting on the bedside table, full of another dozen deep red roses. As I continued to look around the room, I realized every surface in my room was occupied by at least one vase of roses, with multiple others scattered around it. I continued to hold the first rose to my nose, enjoying the rich scent as I took in the beauty of the rest of them.

I was still sitting like that when I heard my door open a minute later.

"Good morning," Edward's velvety voice said as he walked into the room.

I turned to him with a smile on my face. "Did you do all this?"

He nodded. "Do you like it?"

My eyes widened and I nodded vigorously before throwing back the covers on the bed and running to him, throwing my arms around his neck and whispering, "Thank you so much," in his ear.

He laughed gently as he hugged me back, resting his cheek against the top of my head as he held me.

"I hate that you had to leave your flowers at work. I hope this makes up for it," he said, pulling away from me for a moment and smiling down at me. "Now go back to bed. I have one more surprise for you."

My brow wrinkled in confusion, but I obeyed, crawling back into bed and rolling under the covers again. Edward smiled at me before leaving the room. I listened intently for any noise to try to figure out what he was doing, but it was silent outside my room.

After another silent minute, the door slowly cracked open and revealed Edward, pushing the door open with his back while he held a tray in both hands. When he turned, I saw that the tray was piled high with all of my favorite breakfast foods and a tall glass of orange juice, finished with one of the roses sitting in a short vase in the corner of the tray.

"Hungry?" he asked with a smile as he set the tray down on the bed in front of me.

"Edward this is amazing!" I exclaimed as I surveyed the contents of the tray. "How did you know how to do all this?"

He just shrugged. "After one hundred and fifteen years I've come to learn how to do a lot of things."

I laughed as I picked up the first piece of bacon off the large plate in front of me.

"Are you sure you don't want to eat any of this?" I knew that he would refuse, but my manners dictated that I had to ask. "I don't know how you know how to cook so well, but this is amazing."

"It's all yours," he said, lying back against the headboard of my bed next to me and leaning his head on my shoulder.

"I've never had breakfast in bed before," I said as I took a sip of my juice.

"Really?" he replied, seeming somewhat surprised. "I thought you humans did that a lot."

I stifled a laugh as I searched for any signs of teasing in his face. "You watch too many movies, Edward," I said, finally releasing the giggle I had been holding in.

"Well how else am I supposed to know what you people do all the time?"

I shrugged before turning back to my meal. "Well now you've got some first-hand experience."

"I love first-hand experience," he said, leaning to kiss my shoulder as he spoke.

I smiled widely at him and blushed slightly as he replaced his head on my shoulder.

He closed his eyes a moment later, taking a deep breath as he did so.

"Are you okay?" I asked when I noticed the pained expression on his face.

He groaned slightly. "You're just so tempting, Bella," he said stiffly. "You blush and your pulse starts beating faster and your beautiful smell just takes me away. _God, _you're… you're mouthwatering."

My brow furrowed in concern. I didn't know whether to apologize and back away or to comfort him. In my confusion, I simply remained quiet and waited for him to speak again. I watched as he rubbed his temples for a moment with his eyes closed, and then put his hands over his mouth and nose to keep my smell from his senses. As I watched him, I realized I couldn't just back away and leave him alone. Even though I knew it was my fault he was struggling, I felt like I had some innate need to help him.

As I looked at the beautiful creature in front of me, all shreds of doubt melted away. Every obstacle seemed smaller, every disapproving opinion no longer mattered. It didn't matter that I had only known him for a short time—his heart had spoken directly to mine the first time we met. We would make this work, we had to. The instant attraction, the magnetic pull, the need I had for him, and the fact that I could never fear him, even as I watched him struggle for the control not to end my life, all led to one inevitable conclusion. I was completely and irrevocably in love with Edward Cullen.

He finally lowered his hands and took a breath again. His expression lightened slightly before he spoke.

"I'm so sorry, Bella."

"No, _I'm_ sorry," I replied quickly, reaching out to place my hand on his cold cheek to offer some sort of comfort.

"After all this, you still trust me?" he asked, forcing a small smile.

I looked down into my lap for a moment before forcing the words that finally rang true in my heart.

"I can't help it," I replied. "I've already fallen in love with you."

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Aw! I hope you loved our sweet Edward and Bella's confession!! I know I did!! Review and let me know what you think!!

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	12. So Small

Hello my dears! We're back with the most exciting chapter yet!! Its a bit short, but its not to be underestimated- its big in the sense of importance. I hope you all like it! I'm a bit nervous, so you'll have to let me know what you think. Thank you so much to all of you who continue to read my story, add it to your alerts, favorites, and leave me reviews. I love you all dearly, and you make me do happy dances every time I get a new email in my inbox. Seriously. As usual, thanks to all my fabulous ladies over on Twitter- you're all amazing and I love you tons :) And a special thanks to my beta KaydenceI for her speedy work on this chapter and her general amazing-ness. Enjoy the chapter!!

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the intellectual property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Chapter 12: So Small**

"_When you figure out_

_Love is all that matters after all_

_It sure makes everything else_

_Seem so small."_

_A man and a woman stood together on the edge of a cliff. He held her close, like his world revolved around the small brunette woman in his arms. They both wore smiles that spoke volumes about the love they shared. He leaned down to kiss her and she reacted immediately, running her hands through his messy bronze hair and pulling him closer to her. Their kiss continued for a moment before the man finally pulled away and rested his forehead on hers, keeping his eyes closed. She gently stroked his pale lavender lids with her thumbs, coaxing them open. His eyes bore into hers, vivid green meeting melted chocolate. He smiled at her again, his emerald eyes dancing with happiness and contentment. _

OoOoOoOoOoO

**EPOV**

I wandered slowly through downtown Seattle. My hands were in my pockets as I walked casually, looking to anyone who saw me as though I hadn't a care in the world.

Inside, though, my mind was in turmoil.

_She loved me. She really and truly loved me._

With every fiber of my being, I loved her too. I realized I loved her during the long night on the cliff when I thought I was losing her. I realized then that I couldn't live without her. I had never before said the words aloud, although I knew my actions conveyed as much. I was terrified to tell her. After all, I am a vampire, a monster. Could she even believe me capable of love? As only she could, though, she opened herself up to being in a relationship with me. Then, when she told me she was in love with me, my long dormant heart began to soar.

It wasn't long after she left for work that my mind began to catch up with my heart. This was going to be difficult. This was no simple matter of two people in love. I had sworn to her that we would make this work, but in all honesty, I didn't know how. Our distance from each other, our families, and her friend Jacob were more than enough for any couple to deal with. Throw in my... erm... _exceptionalities_ and this was going to be damn near impossible.

I ran my fingers through my tangled hair and finally asked myself the question that had been gnawing at the corner of my mind all morning.

_Could I stay with Bella through the years, watching her grow old while I remained frozen at 24?_

My hands shook as I stuffed them back into my pockets.

They say that you have one person in your life that you're meant to be with. One person that completes you. I had been searching for this one person for as long as I could remember-- even back in my human years, I had been searching, but in all those years, I had never found _the one_.

That day in the forest, I found the one. It was evidenced in the way I was drawn to her both by her delectable scent and her beauty. I knew it was true when the fear of losing her gripped my heart and forbade me to forget about her. I had never fallen for someone before like I had fallen for Bella. I could never be without her. Even when her beauty faded and her skin became wrinkled and leathered, the same girl whose blood called to me in the forest would still hold my heart in her grasp.

I would forever be hers. Could she forever be mine? When she was mistaken for my mother, and eventually, my grandmother, would she still want me? Surely, that was asking too much. She would leave, and I would be left behind. She would eventually die, and I would be forced by my damned vampire-perfect memory to relive our moments together for the rest of my existence.

I ambled through the streets until I eventually made my way to the park where Bella and I had been the night before. I came to the same bench where we had sat and took a seat, crossing my arms over my chest while I continued my brooding.

After a while, a mother came chasing her two children through the park, all three of them roaring with laughter as she finally caught the two around their small waists and pulled them into her arms. She kissed their sandy blonde heads and smiled down at them with love in her eyes. I watched them curiously, noting the simple love they shared written on each of their faces, even down to the smallest child, who seemed to be no more than two or three.

What if Bella wanted that simple life of love, family, and children? With me, she could never have that. Our love could never be simple. Even an act as simple as kissing awakened the monster inside me, reminding me of the deplorable creature I was. I was unsure if I would even be able to make love to her; I knew that we could never be a traditional couple. We could never hear the patter of little feet running through our house. It would be me, the living dead, and Bella, the sweet, beautiful, loving angel and a life of bloodlust-imposed celibacy. That was never the life I would wish on my Bella. She deserved more.

I leaned over and put my head in my hands, trying to seal away the thoughts of the terrible life Bella would have if I was to stay with her forever.

If only there was something I could do, some way to make this easier for us. I couldn't leave her—that was impossible. In just over a week, we had become so inexplicably bound that I knew our separation would cause us both unfathomable pain. I promised Bella that we would make this work, therefore, I would find a way. No matter what.

I was drawn out of my thoughts by a shrill ring from the phone in my left pocket. When I pulled out the phone, Alice's name flashed across the screen. I covered my eyes with my hand in frustration before answering her call.

"Alice."

"Edward!" she screeched from the other end of the line. "Where are you?"

I sighed deeply enough for her to hear my frustration. "I'm in Seattle. I came to see Bella."

"That's what I thought," she replied quickly. "I'll be there soon."

"Wait- Alice!" I yelled into the phone. "Why?!"

I was met with only silence.

"Damn it!" I yelled again as I slammed my phone shut.

The time I had with Bella was very short, and I didn't need my little pixie sister barging in and destroying our time together. Alice was not known to be the most sensible person. She made decisions on a whim; she didn't think through things before springing to action. It seemed as though this time was no exception.

I had made the mistake of telling Alice everything that was going on between Bella and I after I had come home Saturday morning floating on cloud nine. She cornered me immediately and asked me what happened, and I, lost in my love induced haze, was stupid enough to tell her. Ever since, she had been butting her head into my business, always asking me about further developments with Bella. Now, by coming here, she had gone too far.

Angry, I rose from the bench I had occupied for the past half hour and began wandering again.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Exactly two hours later, I was sitting in a coffee shop on the corner of a busy street when a tiny girl in a purple peacoat came whizzing through the door. I barely had a chance to blink before she was sitting in front of me, her bright eyes alight with her characteristic excitement.

"Hi, Edward!" she chirped happily, unwrapping her scarf and throwing it on the table between us.

"Alice," I greeted simply, and with much less enthusiasm. I had resigned myself to her inevitable arrival during the two hours' time I had spent here in the coffee shop. It was now one o'clock, and I knew if I just indulged her for now, I could have her out of here by the time Bella got off work at five.

She just stared at me, her hands folded on the table between us and her eyes dancing with excitement. After a moment, I became frustrated.

"Well, are you going to tell me why you're here or are you just going to stare at me like that all afternoon?" I grumbled.

She thought for a moment before speaking.

"Edward, I have something to tell you," she began, the excitement draining away and slowly being replaced by apprehension.

I raised my eyebrows and crossed my arms over my chest. "What is it, Alice?"

"I had a vision," she said, chewing on her bottom lip as she thought about what to say next. "It was... strange..."

I nodded impatiently. At this pace, she might not be out of here by midnight, much less when Bella got off work.

"You were... Well, Bella was there-- with you. You kissed her, but then when you pulled back away from her, I saw your eyes... Edward, your eyes were green."

My body immediately froze. The relaxed stance I had adopted disappeared, and I felt my eyes widen.

"What?" I asked, leaning forward to take in this new information.

"They weren't like _our_ eyes, Edward," Alice said slowly. "They were bright, emerald green."

I couldn't speak. I was too shocked. How could that be? Me, with Bella...green eyes… _That's impossible._

"Edward?" Alice asked hesitantly after a moment. "What could this mean?"

I remained silent for a another moment, trying to harness my thoughts.

_Green eyes, green eyes, green eyes. Bella and I, together_…_.I had green eyes_…_._green eyes_. How could that be? As a vampire, my eyes couldn_'_t possibly be_…_..but_…_..maybe_…

Eventually I gathered the words to speak again.

"Alice... My eyes were green when I was human."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

**BPOV**

I drove to work alone that morning. Jacob was gone when I woke up. Whether or not he was there while Edward was fixing breakfast, I didn't know, and frankly, didn't care. I was much too caught up in Edward, and the time we got to spend together before I went to work.

While I drove, I thought about Edward with a smile on my face.

_He loved me too._

The words spilled from his mouth again and again as he kissed my face right after I confessed my love to him. My eyes, nose, cheeks, and forehead were scattered with kisses as the words passed his lips again and again, finally ending when he looked me directly in my eyes and whispered _I love you_, and kissed my mouth softly. I was able to control myself this time, despite the raging emotions inside me. Too soon, his lips left mine.

It was a busy day in the office. I had to work straight through lunch because of everything I missed last week when I was in Forks, added on top of a new story I had been assigned. I saw Jacob a couple times, but he barely spoke to me. When he did, it was only a quick "Bella," as I entered the room. I shrugged it off and tried to force myself to focus on my work, ignoring the way my heart tugged whenever I saw him. I chocked it up to anger instead of the underlying guilt that I knew was harbored in my heart.

Its not that I felt guilty, exactly, about my relationship with Edward. I just knew I should have handled it more responsibly; telling Jacob about Edward would have been the right thing to do. I felt guilty because I knew that if I had done things right, he might not be angry with me.

I chewed on my lower lip while I relaxed back into my chair, once again overcome by the severity of my situation with both Edward and Jacob. _My best friend hates me and I'm in love with a vampire. _When did my life get so bizarre?

I was mainly unfocused for the rest of the day, despite the huge amount of work I had to do. I couldn't stop thinking about Edward. He was perfect in every way, except for the one that made him completely wrong for me. I wanted to believe him when he told me we would make this work, but I didn't see how. He was immortal. He was here long before I was and he would continue to be here long after I was gone.

_Was it selfish to ask him to stay with me, even when I was old and gray and he was still young and beautiful?_

I felt my face warm in humiliation at the thought and I shut my eyes tightly against the absurdity of the idea. No matter how much he loved me now, that could never work. He would never love me with wrinkles. Even if he could, would he want to be seen with me? What if people thought I was his _grandmother?_ My heart pounded in my chest, and I felt the panic rise. I was going to lose him. We could never be the same. We would be separated.

When I opened my eyes, it seemed like the world was caving in around me. I felt suffocated by the gray cubicle dividers that encircled me. I had to get out of there. I had to go find Edward—I knew that seeing him would make me feel better, even if just for a little while.

Without a second thought, I snatched my purse off the floor by my feet and closed my computer. The hallway to the elevator seemed twice as long as it had been earlier in the day, and I felt out of breath by the time I reached it. I touched the button and watched the elevators progress impatiently as the numbers lit up. It started on "L" for the lobby of the building, then traveled slowly up through 1... 2... 3...finally hitting four with a small "ping". As soon as the doors cracked I charged ahead, intent on making my way downstairs as quickly as possible. My progress was stopped quickly by a large body coming out of the elevator.

I stumbled backward and paused, caught off guard by the obstruction in my path.

"Bella!" the person in front of me gasped.

I finally looked up to the familiar voice to see Edward standing in front of me, his usually calm, golden eyes now wide and anxious.

"Edward..." I breathed in a sigh of relief, all my panic suddenly appeased by his presence. I threw my arms around his waist and pressed my face into his chest, inhaling his sweet scent and enjoying his closeness again.

He stayed like that with me for a moment before he finally placed his hands on my shoulders and pushed me away from him so that he could look in my eyes.

"Bella, love, do you trust me?" he asked, his eyes burning into my own.

I felt my brow wrinkle in confusion. "Of course I do, Edward," I replied quickly.

"Do you want to be with me?" he asked, moving his hands from my shoulders to cup my cheeks.

I nodded vigorously. "Of course I do."

"I need you to come with me," he said, his eyes changing to hard determination.

Before I had a chance to respond, he was pulling me onto the elevator and we were traveling down to the lobby. My heart began beating fast again. Something was wrong.

"Edward, where are we going?" I asked as he pulled me through the large glass doors and into the crisp, Seattle afternoon.

As he tucked me into the passenger side of his car, he kissed my forehead and looked me in the eyes.

"Bella, I promised you we would make this work," he said. "That's what we're doing."

My eyes widened as he shut my door and walked around the car to the driver's side. He got in and offered me a tight lipped smile before starting the car and taking my hand while he drove. I didn't ask where we were going. Somehow, I knew before we even started driving. We were going to Forks.

His tension didn't fade throughout the drive. If anything, it only got worse. I was curious, but I didn't ask questions. The determination on his face and the way he held my hand tightly assured me that everything would be okay. We would find a way to be together.

A few hours later, we finally came to a stop in front of the beautiful white house where his family lived. I looked to Edward, who had now turned toward me in his seat and taken both of my hands in his own.

"We're going to start here," he said. "I have to talk to my father. I think he'll be able to give us answers."

Although I was still unsure exactly what kind of "answers" we were looking for, I nodded.

"I love you, Bella," he whispered, leaning in closer to me. "I always will. We're going to make this work."

* * *

Love it? Hate it? Can't wait for more? Let me know!!


	13. Find a Way

Ok guys, here it is, chapter 13! Sorry it took a while, epic computer fail deleted half my chapter and I had to rewrite :( As always, thank you to all my lovely ladies on Twitter, your love and encouragement is awesome! And a giant thank you to my fab beta KaydenceI (who has a story that you should go check out! Its called Hiding Behind a Mask- Go!), she fixes my stupid. And to all of you I promised some revealed info in this chapter, I'm sorry, but it's gonna have to wait. I'm sorry and I promise next time I'll think things through before I tell you things!! Now, on to the chapter. :)

* * *

**Chapter 13: Find a Way**

"_One more time to say  
I love you always  
And keeping faith  
Letting love find a way"  
-The Used_

"Carlisle!" Edward yelled as he pushed through the door into the elaborate foyer of the Cullen home.

I stumbled along behind him, holding tightly to his hand as he rushed inside.

"Carlisle!" Edward barked again before his mother, Esme, came around the corner.

"Edward, dear, what's wrong?" she asked, looking between us as if trying to discern the problem.

"I need to talk to Carlisle," Edward said shortly.

"He's upstairs in his study, if you-"

He cut her off mid-sentence.

"I'll be back," he said, turning to me and kissing my cheek swiftly before bounding up the stairs in two quick leaps.

Esme looked to me with a mixture of confusion and shock written on her face. It took her a moment to recover from her bewilderment, but as soon as she did, she motioned me to the living room.

"Come on in here," she offered. "Sit down."

I nodded and followed her into the living room, where Alice and Rosalie were sitting in the corner talking and Edward's two brothers were playing a video game. As soon as I walked into the room, everyone seemed to stop what they were doing and stare at me. Emmett was the first to break the silence.

"Bella!" he exclaimed brightly. "What brings you back to town?"

I opened my mouth to speak before realizing that I had no idea why I was here. "Um, Edward needed to talk to Carlisle about something, I guess," I mumbled.

Rosalie grunted from the corner. "I don't see why you had to come," she grumbled. I knew her comment wasn't meant for me to hear, but I felt embarrassed as I heard it all the same.

Alice shot her a look before springing out of her seat to loop her arm through mine and leading me to sit down on the empty couch across from the boys.

"I'm glad you came, Bella. It gives us a chance to get to know the girl who has stolen our Edward's heart," she said teasingly, giving me a small wink.

My cheeks flamed in embarrassment and I focused my attention on my hands in my lap.

"Alice, don't be ridiculous," Rosalie cut in, standing and walking around to where Emmett was sitting and perching on the arm of the couch beside him.

"I don't think it's ridiculous," Esme said with a small shrug. "I think it's obvious that he loves her. He's never been like this before. It's nice to see Edward so happy."

I glanced up at Esme and saw her smiling over at me. Alice was bouncing slightly on the couch next to me.

"He was practically floating when he came home last Saturday," Alice giggled. "I don't think he's stopped smiling since."

"Dude's got it bad," Emmett said, throwing me a smile and wink.

Rosalie rolled her eyes and shoved her elbow into his ribs.

My face burned again, but I forced myself not to revert to staring at my hands. I tried to remind myself that they weren't teasing me, they were sincerely glad to see Edward happy.

Was Edward really happy because of me? Looking around the room, Esme, Emmett, and Alice seemed genuinely comfortable and accepting of my presence. The man sitting next to Emmett had been quiet, but I didn't sense any hostility. If anything, he seemed nervous and maybe uncertain. Rosalie, however, was a different story. When I looked at her, she met my stare with a glare. She was not uncertain by any means—she hated my very existence. I dropped my eyes and felt the tension in the room dissipate.

"I'm sorry we're embarrassing you, Bella," Alice suddenly said, turning back to me with a sweet smile to light up her pale face. "We're just really glad to see Edward so _happy _for once."

She took a moment of silence to choose her next words, and I felt the beginnings of a smile form on my lips.

"The rest of us are together, you know? I have Jasper," she nodded to the blonde man sitting next to Emmett, "Rosalie and Emmett have each other, and of course Carlisle and Esme, but Edward has always been alone. He'd never say anything, of course, but it's been really hard for him to live with three happy couples for so long. We've tried to set him up with different women to make him happy, but nothing ever worked."

I felt a small bite of jealousy when she spoke of Edward with different women, but I quickly stuffed that thought under and focused on the true meaning of her statement. Edward had never been as happy as was with me. A small bubble of happiness formed inside me and it brought a smile to my face.

I looked around at the rest of his family sitting there with me as they nodded in agreement. I wanted to believe them, and I did, but I was still having a hard time wrapping my head around everything. We had known each other such a short period of time, and yet we couldn't be apart. Even though I knew, in my very being, that we belonged together, it was still somewhat overwhelming at times.

Jasper looked toward me and finally spoke. "You have to understand, Bella, what a change we've all seen in Edward. Before he met you, he simply existed. He cares for us, his family, but even that has always had an undercurrent of misery. I can read emotions, and I must tell you that, up until last Saturday, everything he felt had that same undercurrent. Simple emotions like happiness, joy, anger, and envy have never existed for him. His happiness and joy were laced with guilt, longing, and sadness. Even his anger was tainted by the self-loathing that he has always carried. Since you came into his life, his emotions have changed dramatically. For the first time, I can feel his untainted happiness, joy, and his nervousness. More than that, I can feel love that's as pure and deep as I've felt from everyone in this room."

As he spoke, my eyes welled with tears. Edward, my Edward, had been so unhappy. I tried to imagine living as long as he had with three perfectly matched couples. It would be difficult and miserably lonely, at best. Now, because of me, he was happy. I would do everything in my power to keep him that way.

Everyone was silent, absorbing Jasper's words. Thankfully, Emmett finally spoke, lightening the mood.

"I still can't believe he fell in love with a human," he chuckled good naturedly, smiling broadly in my direction.

"Emmett..." Esme chided, lowering her brow at him in disapproval.

The rest of the family chimed in with their own responses to Emmett's comments, but I didn't hear them. Once again, I had been reminded of the one thing that would keep Edward and I apart. I could almost forget, sitting here in this room with his family, that they were all vampires. I looked around the room, watching them interact. Rosalie was now sitting in Emmett's lap, smiling at him. It was amazing how happy she looked when she wasn't glaring at me. Emmett was talking, wildly gesturing with one hand while gently stroking Rosalie's back with the other. Alice's head was thrown back in laughter. Jasper's arm was around her shoulders, his body angled around hers protectively. Esme was perched on the arm of the sofa, watching everyone adoringly. They may have been vampires, but they were a family. They laughed, teased, loved and protected each other. The Cullens were more a family than Charlie and I had ever been.

I hadn't spoken to Charlie since the hospital 'visit' after I had fallen and gotten that concussion. I assumed he knew that I had left town to go back to Seattle last week, but that's just the way it was with Charlie. We didn't call each other unless there was some sort of emergency, holiday, or a birthday. Why didn't I have a loving family like the Cullens had made for themselves? I felt the familiar lump of resentment beginning to form in my stomach again as I thought of Charlie.

Charlie had always been distant. Many people had said that he seemed to retreat back into his own self and forget about the rest of the world when my mother left. My basic needs were met, and I was provided for, but I had never felt taken care of. When I was twelve, Charlie had actually begun to retreat even more into himself. It was then that I began raising myself and taking care of my father. I thought that over time, my father would come back to me, and he would appreciate everything I had done and he would love me, but it never happened. Things only got worse until I left the summer after high school, determined to make a fresh start in a new town where there were no heartaches buried underneath years of altruistic acts.

I looked again at the people who sat around me. They were vampires. By Edward's definition, they were monsters—capable of death and destruction. Physically, I was sure he was right. However, these people, this family, chose to be more than their nature suggested they could be. They only drank from animals, resisting the temptation of humans. They laughed together. They were fiercely protective of one another. Above all, they loved each other—wholly and completely. For the first time, I ached for a family that loved me. I wanted to be a part of a family like this. Would they ever be willing to accept me as one of their own?

My heart dropped. I had no idea how Edward and I could be together. I could never have a family like this. This was a family of vampires, and I was human.

Human. That one little word ruined everything. Eventually, I was going to die, and Edward and his family would not. When that day came, they would likely return to the life they lived now. Edward would likely turn into his old self; every thought, every feeling would be laced with misery.

Would it be better if we ended now?

Surely it would be better if I left now, rather than left in death in 60 years.

Could I leave him and my heart behind?

_No, _I couldn't. It was too late; we were too bound. I knew that if I were to leave now, it would hurt him just as deeply as my death would hurt later. Our love was new, but it ran bone-deep.

Even in death, I couldn't leave him—I _wouldn't_. I could not be responsible for the anguish I knew he would feel. Maybe there was a way…

If I could become a vampire…

"Bella?" A light voice pulled me out my thoughts.

I lifted my chin and tried to erase the evidence of frustration from my face. I noticed Alice looking at me with her head slightly tilted to the side, and I quickly realized I must have been asked a question.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "What did you say?"

She giggled. "I asked if Edward has told you he loves you yet."

My face burned in embarrassment, and I looked around at the rest of the family in the living room. After noting that they all had different discussions between themselves, I realized that this had been a private question between Alice and me.

"Alice, can I talk to you alone?" I asked quickly.

Her brow came together in confusion, but she nodded and took my hand, leading me out of the living room and into the kitchen, where we sat down on the stools at the counter.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Alice, how did you become a vampire?" I asked, studying my hands in my lap as I spit out the question that had entered my mind this afternoon.

Her eyes widened and she started shaking her head.

"Alice, you've got to tell me!" I begged after another moment.

"Edward knew you might ask and he told us all not to tell you," she said. "Your life as a human is important. We were changed because we were dying. You have your whole life ahead of you."

"But Alice, that life won't mean anything if I don't get to share it with Edward," I rasped, choking on the tears that threatened to spill over. "I can't explain it, Alice. I love him. I love him so much it hurts. I know it's too soon for this, but we both feel it. Somehow, we are already connected. I can't leave him…_ever_. If I could become a vampire, everything would be okay—we would be okay. You have to understand that!"

She reached toward me and placed her hand on my shoulder, attempting to comfort me through her soft touch. We were both silent for another minute while I tried to control my tears and harness my emotions. My desire to be with Edward was overwhelming, and the thought of having to lead separate lives because of what we were was devastating. I would do anything to be like him.

Just as I was about to stand to go back to the living room with the rest of the family, Alice's small voice broke through my misery.

"It's the venom that causes the change," she said, still staring at the floor between us. "When a vampire bites but does not feed, the venom infiltrates the blood system of the victim. The change happens slowly, and it is agonizing for the human. It feels like fire running through your veins for days."

I stared at her wide eyed while she related the process to me, telling me exactly what happens during the lengthy change. When she finally finished speaking, she glanced up at me for the first time, and I saw the sadness behind her eyes.

"Bella, it's not something that you go through by choice," she said, her expression pleading. "It's not a good life. We're… we're monsters. We have learned to control our savage instincts, but they're still there. We all feel it, even though we don't act on it. You don't want to be like us."

I reached out and threw my arms around her neck, hugging her small frame toward me in gratitude. I wouldn't tell her that the pain and the suffering meant nothing to me. I wouldn't tell her that she hadn't changed my mind.

After a moment, we went back into the living room. The others, save Rosalie, smiled warmly at our return. I couldn't help but feel comfortable in their presence. In many ways, it was easy to imagine that I was part of this family.

For the first time, I laughed and truly enjoyed the company of those I desperately wanted to call family. I just needed to make it official.

Some _how_, some _way_, I was going to become a vampire.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

**EPOV**

"Carlisle!" I yelled once more as I made my way down the hall to his office.

"Edward?" he asked, appearing in the door of his office as I neared. "What's wrong? I thought you were in Seattle with Bella for a few days."

I nodded as I brushed past him into the dark room.

"Alice has had a vision," I stated, turning back to face my father, my voice coming out a bit harsher than intended. I was nervous and impatient, and those feelings combined with the hope that I was trying not to acknowledge had begun to wear on me.

Carlisle was always very interested in Alice's visions, interested in their roots and their certainty and exactly what prompted them. However, he could tell from the way that I spoke that this was no ordinary vision.

"What did she see?" he asked, his brow furrowing as he sat back into the large leather chair behind his desk, motioning for me to sit across from him.

I sat and ran my hands through my hair nervously before I spoke again.

"She saw Bella and I," I began, holding Carlisle's eyes carefully with my own to discern his reaction. "My eyes were green."

I saw his quick intake of breath, his face and thoughts carefully blank. His eyes widened and he was silent for a moment, only muttering "amazing" under his breath while he appeared to be lost in thought. Unfortunately, he was well practiced at hiding his thoughts from me.

I sat on the edge of my chair, waiting for him to give me some sort of insight. When he didn't I let my impatience show. "So?" I said irritably. "What does that mean?"

He was leaning back in his chair with his chin in his hand, his eyes narrowed "I think you were human," he finally said.

I exhaled, releasing some of the tension I had been holding and leaned back in my chair in frustration. "Is that possible?"

"I've only heard of it once before," Carlisle began again, piquing my interest. "Nearly two hundred years ago, I knew of a man who was desperate to be human again. We weren't close, so I don't know what he went through, but I know it is not easy. From my limited knowledge, I know that it is difficult and unpleasant for all involved. I'm not sure if this is something you should willingly go through if you have a choice."

My hands went to my hair again as I tried not to snap at my father. "I would do anything to be with Bella. Anything."

Carlisle nodded, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers in frustration. Suddenly, I saw a vision of Bella with crimson eyes and marbled, deathly white skin float through his mind.

"NO!" I shouted. "Anything but that."

"I've never enjoyed my life as a vampire," I said after a moment of silence. "You of all people know that. I won't do that to her."

He nodded in silent understanding.

"Bella could change all of that," I said forcefully. "I can't ever leave her. We will find a way to be together."

"I don't doubt that at all, Edward," Carlisle said softly. "I'm glad to see that you have found someone like Bella to be with, but I'm afraid of the consequences that the Volturi might impose on you if you can be changed."

"The Volturi?" I asked swiftly, taking the small hint that Carlisle dropped in his previous statement.

He nodded. "They are the only ones with the power to remove the venom from your body. Whether they will grant your request to become human again is entirely up to them."

I nodded in determination. "I'll do anything."

He stood and ran his hands through the blonde waves of his hair and I watched as he paced back and forth in front of the tall mahogany bookshelves that lined his office.

"Edward," he finally said softly, "I won't tell you not to do this, because I can see how much it means to you, but I would be honored if you would allow your family to come with you."

I let a small smile break my tight-lipped determination. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Some of my father's tension melted away and he smiled at me, coming over to pat my back encouragingly.

As I left his office, I let my mind wander over the past hundred years of my life. Was it really about to end? All the sadness, the loneliness, the depression over the very essence of my being. It could all come to an end. That beautiful, clumsy girl with the tempting blood and the angelic laugh might soon pull me out of this lonely, endless life that I had been damned to live for the past one hundred years. The hope that I had been suppressing earlier began to take flight, and suddenly anything seemed possible. I could be with Bella, and we could live a normal and happy life. At the moment, none of the obstacles that we could be facing in the process seemed to matter. Nothing could outweigh the worth of a life, _an actual life_, with Bella.

As if on cue, Bella's beautiful laugh floated up the stairway, and an involuntary smile spread over my face. I quickened my pace down the stairs and stopped in the door to the living room, leaning into the door frame while I watched her with my family. She was sitting next to Alice, who was bouncing on the cushion beside her, chattering excitedly to her. Bella's eyes widened as Alice chattered, and after another moment she broke into another fit of beautiful laughter. Esme chimed in with her own addition to the story Alice was telling, and soon the rest of my family was giving their own accounts, talking over each other and laughing together as they shared their own accounts of the story Alice had just told.

Bella seemed comfortable with them. I smiled as I watched her interact with all of them, from my excitable sister to my buffoon of a brother and my loving mother. She seemed to fit with all of them.

I stood in the doorway watching them until Alice called my name a moment later, scooting away from Bella to make room between the two of them for me to sit down. Bella's eyes snapped up to meet mine as soon as Alice called my name, the smile draining out of her face as she chewed on her bottom lip.

"Actually, Alice, I'm going to go talk to him for a minute," she whispered softly, standing from her place on the couch and walking toward me slowly.

I glanced back at Alice as she made her way toward me, concerned by the worried look on Alice's face.

I hugged Bella closely to me and kissed her temple before putting my arm around her waist and directing her out the back door onto the porch where we could be alone. I sat on the top step and motioned for her to sit down with me. She obliged, but kept her eyes trained on her fidgeting hands in front of her.

The waves of dark hair fell around her face as she looked down, concealing the worry in her expression. I didn't like not being able to see her face, and after a moment I reached over and tucked the veil of silky hair behind her ear.

"Bella, is something wrong?" I asked quietly, stroking her back softly.

"No," she finally replied. "Nothing is wrong. Everything will be perfect." She finally looked up at the end of her statement into my eyes that were now filled with worry.

"What do you mean, love?"

"I've found a way for us to be together," she said, a smile pressing onto her lips.

At this, I felt my forehead wrinkle as I tried to figure out what she was talking about. "Of course we're going to be together, Bella," I said, unable to keep the worry out of my voice. "I need to talk to you about that."

"No, Edward, Alice told me… she told me how you… became what you are," she said, her voice shaking slightly as she searched for the right words. I felt heat flood my face as anger poured into my system. "I want to be like you."

My anger erupted and I flew off the steps where we had been sitting, kicking the bottom step fiercely, knocking out the heavy wooden beams, before she spoke again.

"Edward, stop!" she screamed, her dark eyes widening and her small body stiffening in fear of my reaction to her words.

I stopped, more out of alarm at the note of panic in her voice than in obedience to her command. I stood still with my fists clenched tightly at my sides as she spoke again.

"I know you don't like it and I know you think it's terrible, but really, it's the only way. Edward, we could be together _forever_," she implored. "I could bear the pain for a few days if I could spend eternity with you."

I laced my hands through my hair and pulled so tightly that I thought my hair might come out. "You don't understand, Bella. The painful change is just the beginning. I've dealt with the desire to _murder_ for nearly one hundred years now, and unless I can find a way out of this, I will deal with it for the rest of my existence." I stopped and breathed deeply to calm my frustration before continuing. "I may be damned to this terrible existence, but I would _never _damn you to it as well."

Before she had a chance to speak, I turned on my heel and stormed back inside, into the living room where Alice was still sitting with my family.

"Alice, may I talk to you for a minute," I said through clenched teeth.

The way she looked at me and nodded in return told me that she knew why I was upset. The rest of the family looked bewildered by my anger and Alice's meek submission to my request. They knew something was wrong, but I could hardly find it in myself to care. She followed me silently into the kitchen where I rounded angrily on her and waited for her explanation.

"You told her," I stated simply.

"She's miserable, Edward! She loves you. She wants to be with you, but has no idea how. She's a mess—all she's worrying about is how in the world your relationship is going to work out. I couldn't very well tell her about the vision, but I had to tell her something! I know what I saw in that vision. I still see Bella being human. No one is going to change her, so just calm down!"

"You knew why I was talking to Carlisle! You're the one who had the damn vision. You know that she's not supposed to be like us!"

"So why does it matter if I told her if she's not going to be like us?" she retorted, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at me.

I ran my hand back through my hair in frustration while I paced back and forth for a moment. "Alice, you just don't understand. I love her. I love her more than anything else in this world. She shouldn't ever know the pain of wanting to kill everyone, literally drink the blood of everyone around her! She's far too good for this existence. I could never stand to see her life taken from her. She means too much to me to do that to her."

"I know," she whispered. Her eyes softened at my words and she brought her hands down off of her hips, coming to me and hugging me instead.

"Have you told her yet?" she asked, loosing her grip on my waist and leaning back to look me in the eyes.

I shook my head. "I didn't have a chance. She started talking about becoming a vampire and I lost it."

"Don't worry," she assured me. "She loves you. As long as the two of you are together she'll be happy."

I smiled at her before turning to walk out of the kitchen.

"Good luck," Alice called after me.

I turned and smiled again at her before making my way back to the porch where Bella sat. There was no way in Hell Bella would ever become a vampire. Some _how_, some _way_, I was going to become human.

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So... could a trip to Italy be in order?

You all blew me away with your response to the last chapter-- can you do it again? Let me know what you think! :)


	14. Hope

I owe you guys some crazy apologies. I'm SO sorry this took so long to get out! I don't even know why but I had some insane issues writing this chapter. My endless thanks goes to JandMsMommy, writerinmydreams007, and KaydenceI (my lovely beta) who gave me countless pep talks and encouragement while I was trying to get this written. It might not have gotten out without their help. For serious. But I finally got it! *fist pumo* (haha) Love you guys hard. To everyone- thank you for sticking with me! All your favorites, alerts, and especially reviews brighten my days! Now, after this small essay, I'll finally let you get on to the chapter. :)

* * *

**Chapter 14: Hope**

I turned from the kitchen to head back to the porch where Bella was waiting. As soon as I touched the handle, the back door flew open. I was startled further when I felt a small, warm body crash into my own. Bella let out a small gasp before my arms snaked around her waist and I pulled her even closer to me.

"Bella, what's wrong?" I breathed gently into her hair as I held her close.

Instead of feeling her relax in my arms as I was hoping, her body stiffened and she pushed against my chest trying to free herself. I immediately let go of her, not wishing to hold her against her will, and leaned back to look in her eyes.

Her usually soft, brown eyes were now hard and determined, reflecting my own heartache. "Edward, you've got to listen to me," she said.

I resisted the urge to frown and refuse, knowing what she wanted to talk about. Instead, I nodded and followed her back outside to where we had been sitting earlier.

Sitting down, she traced the pattern in the wood underneath us until I took her hand in mine and squeezed it, bringing her attention back to me.

"Edward, I _need_ to become like you. I _need _to become a vampire."

I fought against the anger brewing in the pit of my stomach and took a deep, calming breath.

"Why?" I asked simply.

She glanced down at the floor and sighed uncomfortably. Eventually, she spoke again. "I could live forever with you," she said. "I could join your family, and we could all be happy together. As long as I'm human, nothing will be right. Eventually I will lose you. I barely have a family, and you are the only person I have ever loved. I can't lose you."

Although her words made my heart constrict, they also made my insides boil with frustration. I leaned forward, placing my head in my hands and lacing my fingers through my hair.

"Bella, you don't understand," I mumbled into my hands. I felt her move closer to me, and she placed her hand on my back. After another moment I spoke again. "You don't understand my life, Bella. You can't be like me."

I felt her hand stiffen on my back and I looked up from the dark sanctuary of my palms against my face.

"I _can_ be like you, Edward," she argued in a stiff voice that invited no argument. "Alice told me how the change works. I can endure a few days of pain to spend eternity with you."

"You don't understand, Bella!" I snapped, the frustration beginning to grate on my nerves. I saw the image of my Bella with crimson eyes and marble skin that had flashed through Carlisle's mind and my anger flared again. "I will _not _turn you into a monster."

I breathed in deeply through my nose and out my mouth to calm the pounding in my head before speaking again with less hostility. "Your life is sacred to me, as it should be to you. I could never live with myself if I doomed you to this… this _existence_."

She opened her mouth to interject, but I quieted her by placing my hand on her cheek and using my thumb to stroke the soft skin there. I marveled at the feel of her silky skin under my cold, hard fingers, and I looked into her deep, chocolate eyes that I refused to ever see turn red or even gold.

"What if I told you there is another way for us to be together?" I asked softly after a moment.

Her eyes widened slightly, but still held that determined edge. "What do you mean?" she asked cautiously.

I ran my hands through my hair, trying to discern the best way to tell her what Alice had seen. I eventually decided that there was no easy way to explain this to her, so I started off the best way I knew how. "You know that Alice has visions of the future. These visions are caused by decisions that are made; they're accurate unless the people involved change their minds about something. While you were at work today, she came to see me in Seattle; she had a vision about our future. In this vision, I was with you and I was human. Bella, nothing could ever turn me away from wanting that. My mind is made up—it _will_ happen."

She was silent for a minute, gaping at me in awe of the information I had just shared. Suddenly, her brow furrowed and she looked down. "So my opinion doesn't matter?" she asked stiffly, not meeting my gaze as she spoke.

I was shocked and hurt by her disinterest. We could have a life together, a future. This was our answer; it was everything we had hoped for. Couldn't she see that? "I don't know how to make you understand, love," I pleaded, taking her hand in mine and squeezing it tightly in my own.

"What is there to understand?" she retorted, thankfully not pulling her hand away from mine.

I sighed deeply. There were too many things. There were things that I had brought up again and again while I tried to make her understand the repugnance of my being—the blood lust, the loneliness, the monster inside me. Nothing seemed to sway her determination to become like me and my family. If she couldn't understand why she shouldn't be a vampire, maybe she could understand why I should be human.

"Bella, you have no idea how much you mean to me," I began slowly, constructing my sentences carefully to try to make her understand. "Before you came into my life, there was nothing. I've been living every day for the past hundred years without purpose. Before you, Bella, my life was like a moonless night, and then you shot across my sky like a meteor. Suddenly everything is on fire; there is brilliancy, there is beauty. Now, in love with you, I have that purpose. I have something to look forward to."

I paused and looked deeply into her eyes. She wasn't frowning anymore, her expression softening as I spoke. She needed to understand why becoming human was so important to me. "Do you want to know what I look forward to?" I asked softly, hoping that she would hear the significance of my words.

"What?" she whispered, leaning closer to me.

"I look forward to a future with you," I told her gently. "I want to live life with you. I don't want to just _exist_ anymore. You have given me so much already, and I can only dream of truly being able to give back to you. I've found love and hope—something I'll only ever have with you. I want us to be together, and to live life to the fullest. A _real_ life, where we grow old and have a family together. I want a life where I can take you out to dinner or go on a picnic with you. I want to take you to the beach, where we could lay out in the sun all day or go sailing on the ocean. I want to give you everything you deserve out of life. We have a choice, Bella, and I choose to _live _with you. Will you let me live with you?"

I only had a moment to see the tears filling her eyes before she leaned forward and threw her arms around my neck, nestling into my shoulder and placing soft kisses on the skin there. I held my breath while she pressed her warm body against mine, praying to whatever God was out there that she now understood.

I held her tightly, our chests pressed together. The monster inside me felt her gentle heartbeat, heard its siren call.

_Tha-thump, tha-thump, tha-thump. _

Against my will, the monster took a deep breath, tasting the scent on his tongue.

_Delicious. _

This blood was unlike any other, made only for me. Why should I deprive myself of what is rightfully mine? My eyes slipped closed as I breathed in her intoxicating smell again.

_Just a taste, _the monster urged. _That's all it would take. She wants to be like us anyway. Give her what she wants. _

It would just be a taste—not enough to hurt her. I could taste her tempting blood and she could become like me. We could both get what we wanted.

I opened my eyes and set them on the creamy skin of her neck, finding the throbbing pulse point leading up under her jaw line.

_She wants this._

_I need this._

I leaned closer and placed my lips against her neck, feeling the rhythmic beating of her heart. Her smell nearly drove me wild at this proximity. My hands tangled in her hair, exposing her throat fully. My lips parted against her skin and I took another deep breath, inhaling the sweet scent once more before I would taste it. Slowly, my tongue tasted the skin above her delicate vein, savoring the essence.

"I love you, Edward," the siren whispered gently.

Shock waves rippled through my limbs and paralyzing fear hit my brain. I pulled away from her and stared at her in shock. _Bella. _What had I just done?

Her forehead creased as she looked back at me in confusion, not understanding the panic that had just taken over my body.

"Edward, what's wrong?" she asked, reaching her hand out and touching my arm.

"Don't touch me!" I barked as soon as her soft fingertips made contact with my skin, sending a fresh wave of desire through my body.

She drew her hand back quickly as though she had touched a hot kettle.

I concentrated on the grass on the ground in front of us, the fresh smell of the outdoors and the flowers from Esme's garden across the yard, attempting to rid my senses of the intoxicating scent of Bella's blood. I couldn't look at her.

As I stared at the grass blowing in the breeze in front of me, my fear and repulsion was replaced by guilt. I buried my face in my hands and tried to block out the terrible memory. This was the only girl I had ever loved; the only girl I would ever love. The monster inside didn't care who she was though. He only saw her as prey. The monster thirsted for her blood. If not for her timely profession of love, I would have bitten her. At that moment, I hated myself more than I ever had before. I had completed the act and actually killed people before, but that guilt was nothing compared to the overwhelming shame I felt now.

I couldn't live like this anymore. I wouldn't put Bella in danger like this ever again.

I turned my head slightly and glanced up out of my hands at Bella, who was still sitting beside me on the steps, staring at her interwoven hands in her lap, chewing on her bottom lip. She looked worried and upset, and I knew immediately that it was my fault.

"Bella," I said softly, not making a move to touch her in spite of my want to do so.

Her head shot up and she looked at me, her lips forming a smile as I looked back at her.

"I love you," I said. "I love you so much. Please forget what just happened."

Her forehead creased again and she opened her mouth to speak, but to avoid any questions I spoke first.

"I'm dangerous. I know you don't understand and you don't think I am, but I know. You mean too much to me for me to continue in this life. I want to be with you."

She nodded. "You would give up everything for me?" she asked gently. "You would give up immortality to live with me?"

"Everything is worthless without you," I replied. "I'd rather live one day with you than a thousand without you."

She smiled and nodded, her eyes filling with tears again.

"Don't cry," I said with a smile, reaching out and brushing a tear from the corner of her eye.

"I just…I can't believe this is happening," she said, placing her hand over mine and giving it a soft squeeze.

"Believe it," I said. "I would do anything to be with you, remember that."

She gave me another shy smile before I leaned over and placed a small kiss on her forehead. I was feeling better now that I had gotten over my recent lack of control, and I was missing the familiar closeness I had grown to love withher.

"Are you ready to go talk to my family?" I asked after a moment.

Her eyes widened and she pulled away to look at me in shock. "They don't know yet?"

"Carlisle does," I said with a grimace, not looking forward to sharing the news with everyone else. "And of course Alice, since she is the one who had the vision, but the rest have no idea."

She was silent for a moment, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt while her bottom lip moved between her teeth. "Will they be mad?"

I paused for a moment, considering my response. Would they be mad? I knew they wanted me to be happy, but would they see it as choosing Bella over them? They were my family, my brothers and sisters for the past century, but she was the love of my life. They should understand, considering they had all found love themselves. I knew them all well enough to be sure that they would do anything to be with the one they loved. They would all understand, but would they accept my decision?

"I'm not sure," I replied honestly. I couldn't lie to her; she would notice their reactions herself.

She didn't respond, only hanging her head in response and staring at the boards of the porch under our feet. I was unsure of what to say, knowing I couldn't change my family's reaction to my decision, but I had made my decision regardless. Her sadness worried me, making me afraid that she had changed her mind and she wouldn't accept my decision. What would happen then? If she didn't want me to be human could I still go through with the change?

When I was about to go insane from the thoughts in my head, she finally spoke again, but her words were nothing that I had imagined.

"I've never had a family," she said, not raising her head to look at me as she spoke. "My mother abandoned us when I was young and my father has never cared about me."

My eyes widened at her admission, and I felt a pang of sadness for her. "I'm sure that's not true, Bella, if—"

"It is," she interrupted. "I spent my whole life taking care of him, and he never appreciated any of it. I did everything from the time I was twelve until I graduated high school. I can count on one hand the number of times he said thank you for anything."

I reached toward her and took her hand in mine, lacing our fingers together and studying them for a moment before whispering, "I'm sorry."

"My mother is the one who wanted to have me," she continued without acknowledging my words or actions. "My father never wanted children, but he agreed for her. He loved her so much; he would have done anything for her. Two years after I was born she got tired of being a mother and left. She would have been happy with Charlie—she left because of me. I think, had Charlie agreed to put me up for adoption, she would still be with him.

"She came around a lot while I was growing up, always staying for a few weeks at a time before getting frustrated with me, or bored in Forks, and leave again. I didn't understand and my father didn't bother explaining to me. While she was there, Charlie was happy and they would spend every moment together. As soon as she left, he would get angry again and it would be worse than ever before. When I was twelve, she came back again, but this time it was different. They yelled and fought the first day. I couldn't hear anything, I just had to get away. I went to Jacob's house. I spent the entire week there, but I don't think they even noticed. When I came home again, my father was sitting on the couch crying alone. I never saw my mother again, and I lost what little bit of a father I had."

She was crying now, the tears running sporadically down her cheeks too quickly for me to wipe them away. I tried anyway, catching the tears that I could before moving closer to her and wrapping my arms around her shaking form and pulling her close to me. Her head rested on my chest, her tears soaking through the thin fabric of my t-shirt, but I didn't care. I was overcome with remorse for Bella's broken family.

When her sobs quieted and her breathing calmed, she moved out of my arms and looked up into my face.

"Edward, you're so lucky to have a family like this," she said, sincerity written all over her face. "You're not even blood related but you're closer than my family has ever been. I never want to do anything to come between you and your family."

My heart swelled and I pulled her close to me again, kissing her hair as I hugged her. "I love you, Bella. You're mine and I'm yours. Even though you're not going to join this family in the way that the rest of us did, you will be no less a part of it."

She smiled for the first time, causing a darkness I hadn't even realized was hanging around us to dissipate. "You really think I will be part of your family? You think they will accept me?"

I laughed and squeezed her tightly again, bending so I could speak into her ear. "They love you already. Did you see the way my mother was looking at you? How excited Alice was that you were here? They already consider you a part of this family."

She giggled against my chest as I kissed her forehead again before releasing her and standing to my feet. "So, are you ready to talk to them?"

A look of uncertainty crossed her face again as she chewed her bottom lip, but she nodded her head anyway and took my hand, allowing me to pull her up off the steps.

"It won't be that bad, I promise," I whispered into her ear as we walked inside.

I led her through the hallway, poking my head into every room along the way where I knew parts of my family sat. Everyone obliged to my request to come to the living room and soon we were all sitting back in the living room, all of them looking at us expectantly.

Alice was bouncing in her seat and Jasper had his hand on her knee, trying to get her to calm down, mumbling something about listening. She must have not told him about her vision. Carlisle stood behind the leather armchair where Esme sat, a knowing smile on his face while he waited for us to speak. Judging from the expressions of the rest of my family, the two who knew what was happening had not told anyone else. Part of my brain was wishing they had already told everyone so we didn't have to deal with their reactions, but I knew that was irrational. No matter how resolved I was in my decision, I still had to share it with the rest of my family and gauge their reactions.

I had taken for granted the close-knit family I had here until Bella had shared her story with me. I had never thought about the oddities of my family or thought of the love we shared to be anything out of the ordinary. It just was.

I reached for Bella's hand and she took it, putting me instantly more at ease through her soft touch. I took a deep breath, bringing in courage, before opening my mouth to speak.

"I'm sure you've all had your doubts about the relationship between Bella and me since it begun, and I have to admit that at times, I've wondered myself how it will all work."

I felt Bella squeeze my hand as I spoke and I paused, glancing around the room to see the confirmation in the eyes of my family members.

"I promised Bella early on that we would do whatever we had to in order to make this relationship work, because in the short time that we have known each other, we've found a love stronger than either of us could have ever imagined. It wasn't until Alice came to me today in Seattle that I began to hope for a solution to our problem."

I saw Jasper glance at Alice in surprise and she gave him a small smile, confirming my idea that he didn't know what was going on.

"Alice had a vision," I said, unable to keep the smile off of my face. Eyebrows rose around the room as I continued. "She saw Bella and me in the future, and my eyes were green—like they were when I was human."

I was interrupted by four different exclamations from the members of my family that had not known about this before. They were all suddenly on the edges of their seats, their questions stringing together to form an almost incoherent buzz. Even after they stopped speaking, their thoughts jumbled in my head, making it difficult to pick out what I needed to say.

"Are you sure?" Esme finally spoke at a normal speed, looking between Alice and me for confirmation.

I nodded and Alice spoke. "I knew it the moment I saw them. The sun was shining and his skin didn't sparkle like ours does, and his eyes were a bright shade of green that ours could never reach being vampires. He was human."

I glanced over at Bella while Alice spoke, but she didn't notice my eyes on her. Her attention was raptly focused on every word Alice spoke about her vision. I smiled at her obvious amazement and joy.

Esme nodded and turned back to me when Alice finished, her face a mask of concern. "So, now what?" she asked. "Is that really possible?"

Everyone quieted at her words, wondering the same thing.

"That's why I was talking to Carlisle earlier," I said, nodding in his direction as I spoke. "He doesn't know a lot about it, but he did say it has been done before."

I turned my attention to Carlisle, hoping he could explain what he knew.

"I've heard of it once before, almost two hundred years ago now," he said. "I didn't know the man well, so I don't know what drove his desire to be human again, but it was not simple. I saw him once as human, but he admitted to me that he was not happy. He was forbidden to speak of the experience or else I would know more about it, but through what little he said I know it will be difficult. I warned Edward of this, but he said he would do anything to be with Bella as human."

To my surprise, everyone was silent when he finished speaking, each seeming lost in thought.

"So… how does it happen?" Alice finally asked.

"He'll have to go to Volterra," Carlisle announced somberly, his voice betraying the distaste he had for the place.

I noticed as everyone's eyes widened again. No one said anything, but their thoughts betrayed their feelings. They all seemed to be worried and concerned, but no one was opposed to my decision. I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I turned to look at Bella again.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly.

She glanced up at me with worry in her eyes and nodded slowly after a moment. "Edward, are you sure?" she asked. "This sounds dangerous. I'm afraid."

"Nothing could change my mind," I whispered, leaning over to kiss her cheek.

"Alright," a booming voice interrupted. "When do we leave?"

I looked up to see Emmett, already on his feet and staring at me expectantly.

"Really?" I asked, surprised by his eagerness.

He shrugged. "You don't expect to go without us, do you?"

"No," I chuckled, his support sending my spirits soaring. "I'm just glad to see you standing behind me on this."

Before he could respond, Esme spoke, her smile putting me at ease. "I know how much this means to you. I think we all do. We just want to be there for you."

I sighed deeply, the built up tension leaving my body as I looked around the room at my family. They were each nodding or smiling as they looked at Bella and me sitting next to each other on the couch. I reached over and pulled her into my arms, kissing her lips softly before pulling back just enough to look into her eyes.

"I love you," I whispered.

"I love you, too," she said through her wide smile.

"I told you I would make this work."

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Hope it was worth the wait!! The next one will come sooner. Cross my heart. If it doesn't you can come hunt me down on Twitter and yell at me. I just have one request of you all-- I'm 16 reviews from 200. Get me there, please? I'd love you all even more than I already do. :)


	15. Desire

**Thanks to all my wonderful Twitter friends for being your wonderful selves, I love you guys hard. If you're not following me on Twitter, come on over! My Twitter name is just Maggieloo402. Huge thanks to my wonderful beta KaydenceI, who got this back to me in record time. I don't know how she did it, but she's pretty fabulous. All you readers and reviewers out there, you guys make this writing thing worth it sometimes. Thanks for reading :)**

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**Chapter 15: Desire**

**BPOV**

My mind spun as I thought back over the events of this day. It had started just like any other. I got up and went to work, endured boring meetings and mundane office tasks, working through lunch because of the massive amount of work I had to do. Then, suddenly, everything had changed; I was hit with the possibility of becoming a _vampire. _I still shuddered at the word—the product of years of horrific stories. These vampires weren't like that though. These vampires were some of the most loving people I had ever met.

I thought back to the way they made me feel welcome in their home while Edward was upstairs with Carlisle. I had been wary at first, uncomfortable with spending time alone with Edward's family. Before long, though, they had me laughing and joking with them—I truly felt like I belonged.

That strong sense of belonging had been the first thing to solidify my resolve to become like them. I craved the love that bound them all together, and I knew I could find it as part of their family. Edward had infuriated me when he refused my request to change me into a vampire. His determination for me to stay human had crushed me at first; I couldn't help but think that he didn't want to be with me as much as I did him. I had come up with a solution to our problem, but he refused.

The logical part of my brain told me that this made sense; he truly believed himself to be a monster, and loved me enough to keep me from becoming one. This same part of me also realized that I didn't want to become a vampire, not really. To be honest, the idea was frightening; I knew next to nothing about vampires. I only knew that I wanted to be with Edward, and I would do anything to make our relationship work.

When Edward poured his heart out to me about his desire to become human, all traces of my desire to become a vampire were gone. He hated the life he led, hated himself. After a century of thinly veiled misery, he said he could finally be happy—as a human, with me. He spoke with such fervor and conviction that I couldn't help but want the same thing he did.

_A life together as a normal human couple. _

It was something I never thought I could have with Edward. I wanted to live a _life_ with him. I wanted us to be the happy old couple, sitting in old rocking chairs on the porch, holding hands while we watched our grandchildren play in the yard. For the first time, I could envision a life with Edward where we wouldn't have to be afraid of what he was, or what we were. We could just be. Just like any normal couple.

I felt an odd sense of guilt as I glanced over at his profile while we drove down the highway back to Seattle. He was giving up so much for me. He said it was worth any sacrifice to be human again, but he was sacrificing everything he knew to be with me. His days would suddenly be numbered. Someday, he would die. He would pass from this earth and it would be because of me. As I stared at him, I knew what he would say if I voiced my thoughts. He would tell me that it was worth it. He would tell me that I was worth it. I didn't feel worth it. I felt like I was stealing his life from him. How could I ask him to give up his eternal life for a life where neither of us was promised tomorrow?

Tears welled in my eyes at the thought and I turned to look out the window on my side of the car. What were we doing? I was taking away his life; in my own way, I was killing him. A single tear trailed down my cheek and I gasped, wiping it away before he could see. I stole a quick glance at him, but was shocked to see him staring at me with a concerned expression on his face. He reached over and took my hand in his, giving it a soft squeeze as he slowed the car and pulled to the side of the road.

"Bella, baby, what's wrong?" he asked gently, running the tips of his fingers along my cheek.

I was silent for a moment, concentrating my attention on the trees my right rather than look him in the eyes. "Do you have any idea what you're giving up if you become human again?" I asked softly, not turning to meet his eyes.

He contemplated my question for a moment, giving me the idea that he might be having similar thoughts to mine. "Bella," he finally said, "do you know life has been like for the past century? There is not one single thing I have enjoyed about this life. I don't like feeling like a barbarian, being despised by society for what I am, or being stuck in this unending existence. I've hated my life for such a long time. I'm not losing anything. You're giving me everything I ever wanted."

"Edward, you don't understand. You're giving up your entire _life_ to be human again. Right now, you have forever in front of you. If you become human again, you're not even promised tomorrow."

He stroked my cheek softly, brushing away the tears that had fallen while I spoke. "Why would I want forever if forever doesn't include you?" he asked simply.

I closed my eyes to keep the tears inside, but they slipped between my lids anyway as I took a deep breath. After I regained some of my composure, I opened my eyes and looked at Edward again. He was still looking at me intently with those bright golden eyes, looking straight into my soul. "I love you, Edward," I whispered into the small space between us.

He leaned forward, closing the distance between us and kissing me softly. "I love you too, Bella," he whispered as he pulled away, his sweet breath intoxicating my senses as he spoke. "You are my life now; you're the only thing it would hurt me to lose."

My heart pounded in my chest as I realized the depth of his determination. Nothing else mattered to him. I couldn't help but feel unworthy of this great decision, but knowing that it was what he wanted made it easier to accept. I gazed into his topaz eyes and took in the pure beauty of his face as he looked at me with a soft smile that seemed to compliment his strong features. This beautiful man was in love with me. He was going to give up everything to be with me.

I returned his smile and sat back in the seat, linking our fingers together after he put the car back into drive and turned back onto the road. We were on our way back to Seattle, but we would only be here long enough for me to pack a bag and let my boss know I was going out of town for a few days. We had a flight booked out of the Seattle airport at four this afternoon. We were going to Italy.

I would be lying if I didn't admit that the prospect of going to Italy terrified me. Edward filled me in on the details of what awaited us in Italy after we talked to his family, explaining the nature of the vampires that awaited us there. He assured me that I had nothing to fear from them, but I couldn't help but feel nervous knowing that these vampires held no reservations about taking the life of someone like me. When I told Edward of this fear, his eyes burned in anger and he told me that I had nothing to worry about. His demeanor did nothing to calm my nerves.

I leaned my head against the window, letting the cool glass soothe the burning sensation of my skin caused by the worry I was feeling. Going back to Seattle meant I would have to face Jacob again. So many things had changed so quickly that I now felt like he hardly knew me. I missed the comfort that his friendship gave me. Even when I was feeling worried, like I was now, he always knew how to make me laugh and feel better. That was something that could only come from a lifetime friendship like ours. I knew things couldn't stay like this with him.

I flipped open my phone and punched in his number, sending him a quick message to let him know where I was and what was going on today. I left out the details, of course, only telling him that I would be back at the apartment soon to pack and after that I would be by the office to talk to Davenport about taking the rest of the week off. I knew the questions would come later, but I had no idea how I would answer them. I leaned my head back onto the head rest and closed my eyes, holding my phone tightly in my hand while I waited for a response from Jacob.

"Bella, calm down," Edward's soothing voice came through my tumultuous thoughts.

"I'm fine," I assured him, squeezing his hand. "I'm just nervous about seeing Jake again."

His eyes darkened and he let out a low grumble, his hand tightening on the wheel of the car.

"He's really not a bad guy, Edward. I know he acted like a jackass when you met him, but he's really not like that. It's just weird for him to see me with a guy."

"Like you've never dated before," he scoffed sarcastically.

"I really haven't," I said shyly, picking at my fingernails in my lap. He looked at me with a raised brow, urging me to continue. "I've never really dated seriously before."

"I find that hard to believe," he said, not taking his eyes off the road in front of him.

"Why?" I asked defensively.

"You're… attractive," he said carefully. "Any guy would be lucky to have you."

I smirked slightly at his discomfort and softly thanked him.

"I thought I had a serious relationship once before," I said so softly I was hoping he hadn't heard me.

He turned his head sharply in my direction and his brow lowered. "What do you mean?" he asked quickly.

I brought my lip between my teeth and gave him a sidelong glance, wishing I had just kept my mouth shut.

"Well?" Edward demanded.

"I kind of had a boyfriend in college," I explained carefully. "I thought we were getting serious, and I thought I loved him. He didn't love me."

Edward's eyes remained focused on the road, and his naturally pale skin was almost translucent as it stretched tightly over his knuckles as he gripped the wheel tightly.

"What did he do to you, Bella?" he asked stiffly, the muscles under his jaw tightening and relaxing with tension.

"He had three other girls he was 'serious' with also," I mumbled. Once again, the low volume of my voice did nothing to hide the information from Edward.

He turned to look at me in disbelief, and I noticed the darkened color of his eyes and the anger that burned there. "Why the hell would you not tell me this, Bella?"

I shrugged gently, trying to avoid making eye contact with him. It had been three years ago, but it still hurt to talk about. I thought I had been in love with him. The day I found out had been terrible. "I don't like to talk about it."

He was silent for another minute as he drove, keeping his eyes straight ahead. "Well of course Jacob doesn't trust me," he said stiffly.

I nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

He nodded and took my hand in his again, communicating to me silently that he wasn't upset with me, and turned his attention back to the road in front of us.

We fell back into comfortable silence after that, his thumb rubbing circles into the skin on the back of my hand. My thoughts were busy for the rest of the drive, flitting from worry over the next couple of days to Jacob and to work, feeling helplessly out of control. I felt a wave of relief pass through me when we pulled into my familiar apartment complex, the normalcy providing a blanket of security when everything suddenly felt so out of control.

Edward helped me out of the car, holding my hand as we took the elevator up to my apartment. I unlocked the door and walked into the empty apartment, throwing my purse and keys onto a small table to the side of the entrance. Edward followed slowly after me, looking at the pictures on the walls and taking in the space while I walked straight to my bedroom.

I picked up my duffel bag from where I had just thrown it down a few days ago, shifting through the clothes that I still hadn't unpacked. Most of the clothes were still folded, but I quickly threw out the ones that weren't and added a few new outfits. Edward came into the room just as I came out of the bathroom with my arms full of the toiletries I needed for a few days away from home. I dumped them into my bag haphazardly while Edward watched me with a small smile on his face, leaning back against the dresser.

"What time is it?" I asked after a moment, uncomfortable under his unwavering stare.

"Almost one," he replied without taking his eyes off of me.

I frowned and turned back toward him. "Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked irritably. My nerves were on edge and I felt rushed because he was waiting on me, and his attention only made me feel even more nervous.

He smirked before pushing off the dresser and coming to stand behind me. He wrapped one arm around my waist and used his other hand to pull my hair back away from my neck and shoulder. His cold fingers brushed the skin there and caused me to freeze and goosebumps to rise all over my body. He came closer, placing his cheek against the side of my head right above my ear and my breath caught in my throat.

"Because I think you're beautiful," he whispered softly. "Am I making you nervous?"

I gave him a short nod, trying to regain my composure at his close proximity. He told me several times how dangerous he was to me, and how important it was that he not tempt himself by getting too close to me. I respected this necessity and let him initiate most contact, letting him judge how close was too close, but it seemed as though he had freed his restraints.

His cold hand settled on my shoulder, his thumb stroking the bare skin around the collar of my shirt. "I love you, Bella." He tightened his grip around my middle, pulling me even closer to him so that our whole bodies were in close contact. "I can hear your heart beating," he said softly.

It didn't surprise me that he could hear my heart beat. The steady drumming seemed to be slamming in my head and pounding through every vein in my body. "Are you—um, I mean, is that okay?" I asked between shallow breaths.

He chuckled slightly in my ear, but it was not the lighthearted sound I was used to hearing; this sound was darker and full of unspoken desire. "Your heartbeat is my favorite sound in the whole world," he replied.

A brief shiver ran down my spine while my mind and body held conflicting emotions. My mind was terrified, resisting the touch of the vampire behind me and yelling at me to stay away. My body wanted nothing but to melt into the embrace of the man who loved me. The combination of the two was causing my heart to beat erratically and my breathing to come in short, shallow breaths.

"Do you trust me, Bella?" he asked, nestling his nose into my hair.

I felt like he had read my mind in that moment and was forcing me to choose between my mind and body. There was only a moment of indecision before I my mental voice was silenced and my body and my heart took full control. "Yes," I whispered.

I felt rather than saw him smile as he leaned even closer to me, letting the tip of his nose trace down from the top of my ear down to the lobe, where he paused for a moment to place a small kiss. After that, he continued down, running his nose down my jaw, ghosting his lips across the bone, eventually moving back to the small dip below my ear and placing another kiss there. Once his lips touched my neck, his kisses became more firm, more passionate as he kissed down the column of my throat.

As he kissed my neck, I felt sparks flying through every part of my body, intensified in the places his lips touched. I leaned closer into him, tilting my head to the side to give him better access to the area where he was currently lavishing attention.

What seemed like both seconds and hours later, he finally leaned back away from my neck and buried his face into my hair again, his chest rumbling behind me as he let out a low growl. "You can't imagine what that does to me," he mumbled.

My lips turned up in a thin smile and I leaned to the side to turn and look up at him. His eyes were dark and his crooked smile spoke of both lust and joy. I turned in his arms as he moved his hand from my shoulder down around my waist, lacing his fingers together behind my back so our bodies were still held close.

"Was that okay?" I asked softly.

He chuckled that low, dark chuckle again as he nodded. "That was more than okay, Bella. I've wanted to do that for a long time."

I smiled shyly in return, refocusing my attention to my bag that was now mostly full.

"Do you have everything?" Edward asked, keeping one arm around my waist as he stood beside me.

I pursed my lips as I tried to think through everything I would need during the next couple of days.

"I think so," I finally decided, closing the zipper on my bag in one swift motion.

"Good," he replied, leaning over me to take my bag and throw it over his shoulder, turning without another glance at me to leave my room.

"Edward!" I cried as I chased after him. "You don't have to do that. I can carry it, you know."

He turned and raised his eyebrows at me. "Well so can I," he finally announced. "And don't you think it's even easier for me than it would be for you?"

I rolled my eyes, a small smile playing on my lips as I picked up my purse from the table where I had left it and showed him to the door.

"So we're going to your office now?" he asked as he threw my bag in the trunk of his silver car.

I nodded. "I need to talk to my boss…and Jacob."

His jaw tensed at the mention of Jacob and I saw his eyes narrow when he flashed an unhappy glance at me.

"You know I have to talk to him before we go," I said. "He may not like it but he needs to at least know that I'll be out of the country for a few days. I owe him that much."

Edward just huffed as he climbed into the car. I followed suit before continuing my thought.

"He would just be even more upset if we went away without telling him."

Edward nodded, even though I could still see the frustration behind his compliance.

"It won't take long," I assured him, reaching over to take his hand and giving him a soft smile.

He returned my smile before sighing and pulling onto the road. A short while later, he pulled into the parking garage beside my office building. I smoothed the blouse I was wearing, suddenly aware of my unprofessional appearance.

"Will he be upset that you missed today?" Edward asked nervously while he watched me.

I considered his question for a moment before shaking my head. "He doesn't mind if writers skip a day every once in a while. We can write from home. As long as we don't make a habit of not coming in he doesn't mind."

He nodded, seemingly comforted by my statement. "Well, let's go," he said, opening his door and exiting the car. He arrived on my side of the car, pulling my door open before I even had a chance to reach for the handle.

"Edward," I chided. "What if someone is watching?"

He shrugged before wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me closely to his side as we walked into the building. I said a brief hello to the receptionist before pressing the button on the elevator to take us up to my floor.

As soon as the doors opened and the elevator announced our arrival with its metallic ring, my nerves spiked to an all-time high. I kept an eye on the area of the room where Jacob's desk was stationed, watching for the russet skin and black hair of my best friend. I made a beeline for Davenport's office, whispering to Edward to meet me back at my desk in a few minutes.

I knocked softly on the door, shooting one last glance over my shoulder before hearing my boss call for me to come in. I slipped in the room and closed the door softly behind me.

"Miss Swan!" he called when he noticed it was me. "I was wondering where you were today."

"I'm sorry, sir," I apologized quickly. "I've had a bit of a… erm… family emergency. I need to take a few days off. Would that be okay?"

I felt bad skirting around the truth as I was, but the idea of telling my boss, "I'm sorry I have to go to Italy for a few days for my vampire boyfriend to consult a hierarchy of vampire lords about becoming human again, is that okay?" was unacceptable, so I settled for a small dishonesty.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Miss Swan, I hope everything is alright?" he asked, his already wrinkled brow furrowing even deeper in concern.

I nodded. "It will be."

He nodded and replaced his glasses on his pudgy nose. "Will finishing the story I assigned to you this week be a problem?"

I bit my lip slightly and contemplated the question.

"I have a writer who just returned from vacation today without a story this week if you can't handle it," he offered, looking at me questioningly above his glasses.

I smiled with relief, nodding my head quickly. "That would be wonderful. Thank you so much, sir," I said politely.

"Alright, good luck, Miss Swan, I hope everything is okay," he said with a dismissive nod.

"Thank you, Mr. Davenport," I said quickly, turning to exit the office.

My shame over my dishonesty only weighed me down for a moment before I felt relieved. My boss had been even more understanding than I had originally hoped, and now I was free of all responsibility for a few days while Edward and I embarked on an adventure that would change our lives.

I rounded the corner with a smile on my face, ready to take the things I needed from my desk and leave for the airport with Edward. However, when I rounded the corner, I saw Edward and Jacob standing beside my desk, both with frowns set deeply into their faces while they stared at each other.

I gasped and hurried the rest of the way down the hallway until I reached my desk, looking quickly between the two of them nervously.

"Bella," Jacob greeted me curtly, just as he had been doing all week.

Edward reached over to wrap his arm around my waist and pulled me gently to his side, never taking his eyes off Jacob.

I pulled away from Edward slightly before speaking, not wishing to feel as though I were on one side or another of whatever feud they were having. "What's going on, guys?" I asked irritably, frowning and glancing between the two.

"Bella, can we talk?" Jacob asked, finally breaking eye contact with Edward long enough to see me nod in agreement.

He turned and walked back to his cubical without a word to Edward, and I followed after. He sat down in his chair and propped his arm on the desk, resting his head on his hand.

"Jacob!" I started as soon as we walked into the semi-private cube. "Why do you have to pick a fight with him? Can't you just trust me and my judgment for once? Or has it never occurred to you that I could possibly find a good guy out there?"

He raised his eyebrows and the angry expression disappeared from his face as he opened his mouth to speak. I cut him off before he had a chance to say anything.

"I trust Edward. You should trust me enough to respect my decisions. I know it may be hard for you to understand, but I love him."

"I know, Bella," Jacob finally said, scrubbing his hands over his face as he spoke. Tears welled in my eyes seeing his distress and they quickly boiled into frustration.

"I seem to screw up every relationship I've ever been in, Jacob. Your friendship has been the only thing I've had to depend on for so long. Don't leave me now that I've finally found someone that loves me," I pleaded. My anger had quickly given way to sadness as I tried to explain myself to him. He had to know how valuable his friendship was to me, even though I was now in love with Edward.

"I know," he finally mumbled into his hands.

I was stunned into silence, not expecting him to agree.

"I know I should trust you," he continued after a moment. He rubbed the back of his head in frustration while he avoided looking at me.

I raised my eyebrows in shock at his admission, but remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"You understand how hard it can be though. You're my best friend, Bella. I've lost you before, when the whole Riley situation went down in college. When you found out what he had done, it was like you were gone. You didn't laugh, you didn't cry, you just sat around in this stupor that I couldn't understand. I couldn't do anything—I've never felt so helpless. You got through it, sure, because you're tough. But you've never been the same—you don't trust anyone, not really. Well, at least you didn't. This guy just comes out of nowhere and all of a sudden you're so happy—happier than I've ever seen you before. I'm just afraid it's all going to come crashing down again and I don't know what I can do to stop it. I'm worried, Bella."

"I'm sorry," I said weakly after a moment of silence.

"He told me while you were talking to Davenport that he loved you," he said. "I tried to call it bullshit but he got really angry. He told me that he would do anything for you, and for some reason I believe it."

I smiled, understanding the context of Edward's statement even though Jacob didn't.

"You… You're okay with it?" I asked hesitantly.

He hung his head and I saw his fists clench and release twice before he finally responded. "I'm getting there," he replied.

I couldn't stop the smile that broke over my face as he nodded.

"Just… promise you won't let him hurt you, alright?" he asked, glancing up at me from his hands.

"Edward would never hurt me," I said reassuringly. "I know that."

"I wish I could be as sure as you seem to be," Jacob replied, "but I'm glad you have so much confidence."

I smiled again.

"So where are you guys going?" he asked, his brow furrowing again.

My heart skipped a beat at the sudden shift in the conversation and I struggled for an answer. "He has a bit of a… family emergency that we need to take care of. We have a flight out at four."

"Where are you going?" he asked.

I mentally berated myself for mentioning the flight before deciding to tell him the truth. "Italy," I whispered.

"He has family in Italy?" Jacob asked as he raised his eyebrows.

I seemed to be digging myself in deep here. "Um, yeah, we're just going to be there for a couple days," I added nonchalantly, hoping he would drop the subject.

He just nodded. "Well, have fun," he finally said.

I smiled and agreed before giving him a small hug and turning to leave. "I'll see you soon. Thank you so much, Jacob. For everything."

He just smiled and lifted his hand to give me a small wave as I disappeared around the corner.

I walked back to my cubicle quickly, unsure of how Edward would react to the whole Jacob situation. I saw him sitting in my chair, twiddling his thumbs with a dark expression on his face. He heard me coming before I could say anything and his expression lifted slightly.

"Is everything okay?" he asked softly.

I smiled and nodded. "I think he might be coming around," I said.

He smiled in return and stood up, snaking an arm around my waist to pull me close and kiss my temple before taking my hand. "Are you ready to go?" he asked.

I nodded and we made our way back down the hall to the elevators.

After stopping for me to eat, we were on our way to the airport.

"Are you ready?" he asked, squeezing my hand tightly before we got out of the car.

"Only if you're sure you want to do this," I replied, biting my lower lip apprehensively.

Without a reply, he leaned closer and kissed my lips gently, lingering there for a moment, but not deepening the kiss. He didn't move away when he spoke again.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life," he replied softly.

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**Thank you all so much for your great response to last chapter. Your reviews make me "smile like the sun, fall out of bed, sing like a bird, dizzy in my head..." True story. (listening to that song at the moment. I heart it. :]) So, let me know-- what do _you_ think will happen in Italy? :)**

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**Update 5/3: Hey guys, I'm sorry I have let this sit for so long, but my husband came home from Afghanistan and writing got put on the back burner for a while. I have a few other story ideas that I might be writing one-shots for in the time I have while he's home, but I probably won't pick this up again until he leaves again (at the end of May). So, put me on author alert if you'd like to see what else I've got in the works, or check out some of these awesome stories to fill your time:**

**Letters to Isabella by writerinmydreams007 (I'm honored to beta this one, but she also has two other great stories that you can check out!)**

**Texts from Last Night by everythingido3 (If you ever read textsfromlastnight(dot)com... this story is based on prompts from that site. Its hilarious. Go read it.) **

**Bedroom Confessions by JandMsMommy**

**Empty Panes and Pretty Things by AydenMorgen **


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